House Unity
by Kokou
Summary: In an effort to unite Hogwarts, Dumbledore has created a series of projects in which Slytherin and Gryffindor students will be paired with one another. What happens when romance blossoms between two unlikely people? Can the castle survive the chaos?
1. Changes and an Announcement

Okay, here's the deal. This is my first Harry Potter fic, as well as my first slash. I'm still in all those advanced classes, so updates will be scarce. However, I've literally been writing this in my sleep, so I need to wear out the plot bunnies somewhere.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of his associates. If I did, Draco and Harry would have been locked in a broom closet ages ago.

"Speech"  
_Flashback  
_'Thought'  
//Parsletongue//  
XXXXXXXX- scene change

* * *

Harry sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, idly poking at his food. He was already bored out of his mind after only a month of school. Of course, the fact that he already knew most of the material being taught so far could be part of the problem. 

A lot had happened over the summer, the least of which had been his little bout of self-discovery. Through means he would rather not remember (involving catching his cousin participating in a crude activity with a friend that was so boorish that it would even cause McGonagall to blush), Harry had discovered that he "swung the other way." He had also thought a lot about the incident at the Department of Mysteries, and had come to the conclusion that things would have turned out differently if he had listened to his Slytherin side. Because of this, he promised himself that he would stop repressing that part of his personality.

Harry had been told that he was to receive special training to defeat the Dark Lord. In a secret location that was Unplottable and didn't reveal the use of magic, Dumbledore himself had trained the Boy-Who-Lived in everything he could in the allotted amount of time. Harry was now skilled in the Dark Arts, Defense Against the Dark Arts, sparring, archery, hand-to-hand combat, and Potions (it seemed that, without Snape breathing down his neck, Harry had a gift for the subject). He had also discovered Ron's true feelings the hard way.

* * *

_Harry and Ron sat in a tense silence in their room at 12 Grimmauld Place during one of the few breaks in Harry's training. He didn't know why, but Ron had been mad at him since he'd arrived. His Gryffindor side wanted him to let the matter go and avoid a fight, but his Slytherin side was screaming for him to find out what was wrong. Deciding to listen to his Slytherin side, Harry relented. Shutting his book with a snap, he locked eyes with his best friend._

"_Ron, what's wrong? And don't say 'nothing' because I can tell that something's up."_

"_What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG?! I'll tell you what's wrong! You almost lead me to my death every year and every time you expect me to come crawling back. Well, this is the last time! I'm not your friend anymore!"_

_Ron stood up and left the room, slamming the door behind him. About five minutes later, Hermione and Ginny came in. Hermione sat next to Harry on the bed and gave him a brief hug, while Ginny stood in front of the door so she would hear anyone approaching. Harry looked up, his face expressionless._

"_I guess you heard?" he asked in a calm voice. Hermione and Ginny shared a glance before nodding simultaneously._

"_Are you alright?"_

_Harry grinned at the ginger-headed girl. "I'm fine. He's just freaked out right now; I'm sure he'll come around."_

_Hermione stared at him, puzzled. "Are you sure you're okay? You'd normally be really angry after a fight like that."_

"_Yes, I'm sure Hermione. I've just decided to stop repressing my Slytherin side. It's keeping me calm and thinking clearly while my Gryffindor side is indignant but certain that Ron will return." Upon seeing the girls' confused looks, he sighed. "It's hard to explain."_

_After a few minutes, Hermione and Ginny went back to their room, leaving Harry to his studies._

_XXXXXXXX_

_After that, Ginny took Ron's place in the Trio. Ron resented this, but they figured that this pseudo-exile was his own fault. For his sixteenth birthday, Ginny and Hermione took Harry shopping. He now had a whole new wardrobe, as well as a few other additions the girls were unaware of. On the way back to Grimmauld Place, they came across an Aesculapian snake on the sidewalk._

_//Hello// Harry hissed at it in Parsletongue while his companions stood slightly behind him. The snake looked at him in shock._

_//You speak// she asked in surprise. Harry nodded._

_//Yes. My name is Harry Potter. What's yours//_

_//I am Aurum. You wouldn't happen to know where I am, would you//_

_//You're in London. Why? Is that a problem//_

_Aurum nodded a strange sight to any passerby. //My kind doesn't fare well in cities, I'm afraid. //_

_Harry looked down in thought for a moment before inspiration struck. He looked back at the girls, wanting their opinions._

_" Hermione, Ginny? Do you think anyone would mind if I brought home a snake?"_

_Hermione looked shocked while Ginny smirked. "What they don't know won't hurt 'em, right?"_

_Harry nodded and, grinning, turned back to the snake. //Aurum, would you like to live with me//_

_She nodded shortly and slithered up the arm Harry extended to her. Once she was settled, Harry stood and the three continued on their way.

* * *

_

Harry grinned slightly as he remembered this, absently stroking the head of the serpent tucked away under the sleeve of his robe. Giving his breakfast one last dejected shove, he turned to the girls sitting across from him.

"Are you guys done yet?" he asked after a moment. The girls glanced at each other for confirmation and nodded. Just as they were about to rise, Dumbledore approached the podium.

"Good morning, students! As you are well aware, we have been at this wonderful educational institution for a month. I'm sure most of you are bored out of your minds." This comment earned a few chuckles from the student body.

"Some of the professors and I have come up with a plan to relieve you of this problem. As you may have noticed, house unity is at an all-time low. We have planned a series of lessons and projects that will take place in Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and Herbology, as well as the occasional lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Gryffindors will, of course, have these classes with the Slytherins."

Dumbledore paused to allow for the eruption that would follow. Sure enough, there were angry mutterings at the Slytherin table and cries of outrage from most of the Gryffindors. Three people, however, remained silent. Finally, Harry couldn't take it anymore.

"Will you all just SHUT UP?! It's not the end of the world!"

This little outburst caused a stunned silence to fall over the Great Hall, a silence that persisted as he sat down again. He received glares of betrayal and shock from the Lions, and looks of curiosity from the Snakes.

Dumbledore, blue eyes twinkling, continued, "Obviously, this means that Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw will share classes. I expect you all to be on your best behavior and pay attention; you just might learn something."

As Dumbledore seated himself, Harry, Ginny, and Hermione rose and walked out of the Great Hall, not noticing a pair of cool blue-gray eyes watching the Boy-Who-Lived in curiosity.

* * *

Author's Notes: Well, here's the first chapter. Hopefully it isn't too bad. Now, I have a question. If Harry was an animagus, what would be his animal form and why? This question also applies to Ron, Hermione, and Draco. Include your answers in the review (of which I'm sure there will be many). 


	2. An Odd Encounter

Hi! It's me again (obviously). This chapter's a bit longer than the last one was. I will most likely have time to post chapter three, maybe even chapter four, but that's it. I'll let you know which is my last post for a while. Anyway, on with the fic!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I'm just a fifteen year old girl who's so obsessed that I'm compelled to write fanfics about it.

"Speech"  
'Thought'  
XXXXXXXX- scene change

* * *

When they reached the Entrance Hall, the Trio split up. Ginny (much to her dismay) headed into the dungeons for Potions while Harry and Hermione went to Transfiguration. When they reached the first floor corridor, they heard a voice call out below them. They looked over the edge and saw none other than Draco Malfoy walking up the stairs. Hermione turned to leave, but Harry grabbed her arm and shook his head.

"Well, would you look at who I've stumbled upon? Potter and the Mudblood. Where's the Weasel? Did he finally come to his senses?" Draco drawled, smirking smugly. There was, by now, a fairly large group gathered around. Everyone felt they deserved some amusement after Dumbledore's announcement.

Harry returned the blonde's smirk with a Slytherin-worthy one of his own, startling both the spectators and his rival.

"Why, hello Malfoy. Wonderful day, isn't it? Don't worry; Ron and I are just having a minor… disagreement. He'll come around in about a week."

Draco was stunned. Normally, he would be chuckling as Potter went into a rage. Not this time, though.

"Continue to delude yourself, Potter. Did you have a good summer with your Muggle relatives?"

"No better or worse than usual. How was the Manor in your father's absence? Not coping too badly, I hope?"

"To use your words, no better or worse than usual."

Most of the crowd looked at each other in confusion. This almost sounded like a civil conversation, not the brawl they'd expected. Only the Slytherins, a few Ravenclaws, and Hermione noticed the thinly veiled insults within the banter.

"Where was that black dog that was with you at King's Cross with you last year, Potter? I didn't see it when we were leaving?"

Harry's eyes flashed in rage. This, however, was his only sign of anger.

"I think we could all do with some amusement. What do you say to a repeat performance of fourth year, Ferret?"

"Is that a threat, Potter?" Draco snarled, withdrawing his wand. He stepped toward Harry, who had recovered his smirk.

"Interpret it as you will." As he walked away, the Boy-Who-Lived paused and looked over his shoulder. "By the way, there's a D.A meeting next Wednesday. You should come, Malfoy."

Said boy blinked in shock at this invitation before sneering. "Why would I waste my time on _that_?"

Harry shrugged. "Just putting the offer on the table. Owl me if you're interested or have questions. Oh, and feel free to bring friends."

With that, Harry left the scene. Hermione glanced at Malfoy, who was still gob-smacked by Harry's offer. She briefly wondered what her friend was up to, then followed him to Transfiguration.

XXXXXXXX

Saying that Professor McGonagall wasn't pleased that all but three students were tardy was an understatement. Both Gryffindor and Slytherin lost five points per person who was late. After the shock of this wore off, Harry noticed the familiar tattered hat sitting on its customary stool at the front of the room. If the curious mutters were anything to go by, everyone else had noticed as well.

"Even though the actual activities Professor Dumbledore described will not begin until next Monday, it was agreed to get the main detail sorted out now. Every lesson and project will involve working with a member of the opposite house. However, neither we teachers nor you students will decide who you work with. That job falls to the Sorting Hat."

Every Slytherin in this room will put the Hat on first. This is so that it can analyze your personalities. Each Gryffindor will then put on the Hat, and the name of their partner will be called out. You will be paired with whoever compliments you most, and all pairings are final, so no complaining. Also, don't try to convince the Sorting Hat to change its mind."

McGonagall had looked directly at Harry when she made this last statement. He blushed lightly, knowing to what she was referring.

Having every single Slytherin in the class put on the Sorting Hat was a long process. It took about five minutes per student, a long time when there were twenty Slytherins in the class. Over an hour later, they finally finished.

"Brown, Lavender."

The girl slowly stood up and approached the stool. She distastefully placed the rugged hat on her head. After a few minutes, it made its decision.

"MILLICENT BULSTRODE!"

"Miss Brown, if you would be so kind as to sit next to Miss Bulstrode?" McGonagall asked as Lavender removed the hat. Nodding numbly, the girl grabbed her stuff from her own desk and slid into a seat next to the large Slytherin girl.

This process continued until it was just about Hermione's turn. It was obvious to everyone that she was worried about being paired with someone like Crabbe or Goyle.

"Granger, Hermione."

Hermione swallowed nervously before standing and walking towards the stool. She gingerly placed the Sorting Hat on her head and waited, twitching slightly. Slowly, the hat opened its mouth.

"PANSY PARKINSON!"

Both girls gasped; they didn't believe they would be able to get along at all.

"Miss Granger, if you would please _remove yourself from the stool_?"

Hermione flushed with embarrassment from being admonished in front of the entire class. She jumped down and all but ran to remove her stuff from her old seat.

After that, Harry stopped paying attention. He did tune back in long enough to watch Neville be paired with Goyle. For some reason, Harry thought that the bodyguard wasn't as stupid as he acted. When Parvati went up to be paired off, he began gathering his belongings.

"Potter, Harry."

Harry stood up with his bag. Rather than head to the front of the room, he instead walked to the seat to the right of Malfoy. The blonde quirked an eyebrow at this, a gesture which Harry returned.

"Mr. Potter, just what are you doing?"

Harry turned towards her. Her lips were pressed into a thin line for the second time that morning.

"Just going ahead and moving my stuff, Professor."

Before being asked to elaborate, the Boy-Who-Lived swept over and sat on the bench. McGonagall picked up the Hat and began lowering it onto his head. Six inches away from its target, however, the seam that was its mouth ripped open.

"DRACO MALFOY!"

The gasp that followed seemed to absorb all of the oxygen from the room. The two Houses waited with baited breath, wondering what the Gryffindor Golden Boy would do. Harry chucked and stood up, then went to where he'd deposited his bag. He sighed when he saw his classmates' faces.

"Don't tell me that none of you have noticed that Malfoy and I always get paired up in this sort of thing," he groaned. Everyone shook his or her head while Draco seemed to be in thought.

"You know what, Potter?" Draco whispered after the grouping had continued. "You're actually right about something for once."

Harry grinned. "I'm just surprised no one else ever thought about it."

XXXXXXXX

"Why did I have to be paired with Zabini?" Ron whined, forgetting that he wasn't talking to Harry at the moment.

Harry rolled his eyes. The conversation had been going in the same circle since Transfiguration had ended.

"Honestly, Ron! It's not that bad," Hermione attempted to say this soothingly, though her irritation was evident.

"Yeah, says the girl not paired with Zabini."

"Look on the bright side, Ron; you're not paired with Malfoy." Harry tried.

Ron's eyes lit up after a moment of thought. "Good point."

Now that their redheaded friend was finished complaining, Hermione felt that it was safe to ask the question that had been festering in her mind all morning.

"Um, Harry? Why'd you invite Malfoy to the next D.A meeting?"

"Lots of reasons," Harry answered vaguely.

"Like what?"

"He's scared." Ron opened his mouth to protest, but Harry cut him off. "Think about it. His father is Voldemort's right-hand man. Chances are that he'll be forced to become a Death Eater. If that happens, he should at lease be able to defend himself if need be."

Hermione frowned. "What about telling him to bring friends?"

"The rest of Slytherin is in the same predicament. This offers him a way to protect them without asking for help outright."

As Harry finished this sentence, a black eagle owl landed in front of him. He untied the parchment from its leg and pushed his plate to the side, letting the owl choose what it wanted. A few bites of ham later and the bird took wing. Harry unfolded the letter and read its contents, grinning when he was finished.

"Well, what does it say?" Ron asked impatiently. Harry handed the note to his friends and returned his attention to his neglected lunch. Ron and Hermione leaned into each other to read, eyes widening in surprise when they finished.

_Potter,_

_Where and when should we meet?_

_-D_

_P.S. I will not come alone, so don't ask.

* * *

_

Author's Notes: Done with the second chapter! To anyone wondering, I do realize that they use the metric system in Britain, but I was too lazy to convert. I'm still taking animagus suggestions for the Trio and Draco, and I'm adding Blaise and Pansy to the list. Just include your suggestion and reasoning in the review. Here's what we've got so far:

Harry: panther, tiger, lion (2x), snake (3x)

Ron: snake, worm, rat, rabbit, weasel (2x)

Hermione: otter, eagle, cat (2x), owl (2x)

Draco: white Bengal tiger, snow leopard, dragon, snake, bear, skunk, panther

Thanks to the following people for their suggestions:

nezitsuki  
koorimechick  
SwarmOfFanGirls  
njferrell

I appreciate the many responses I've gotten so far. I hadn't even thought of some of these as possibilities. Feel free to suggest magical creatures, insects, or anything else. See ya next chapter!


	3. Late Night Meeting

Well, here's chapter three! I know it's kinda mundane, but the content is there because I felt it had to be. Without further delay, enjoy the chapter!

Oh, I've gotta do the disclaimer…

Disclaimer: If you haven't gotten the message by now, you should be ashamed. I do not own Harry Potter.

Okay, now enjoy the fic.

"Speech"  
//Parseltongue//  
XXXXXXXX scene change

* * *

Harry quickly finished off his lunch, then he ran to the Owlery to send his reply. He still had ten minutes until his next class; plenty of time to complete this task. After a quick sprint up a final set of stairs, he found himself entering the home of the Hogwarts owls. 

"Hedwig," he called softly, not wanting to awaken any of the others.

Silently, a snowy owl glided down from her roost in the topmost rafter. She landed on his shoulder and nipped his ear affectionately, hooting softly. Harry fingered the collar around her neck; a sky blue leather band studded with silver rhinestones.

"Do you like the new collar, girl?"

She hooted the affirmative and took flight, landing on the windowsill. Harry laughed quietly and sat down beside her, then took some parchment, a quill, and an inkwell out of his bag. Checking his watch, he quickly scribbled down a note.

_Malfoy,_

_If possible, meet me tonight at ten in front of the tapestry of __Barnabas the Barmy. Notify me if this is inconvenient._

_-H_

_P.S. For your information, I would be ashamed of anyone but me who went to meet their rival alone._

Harry rolled up the parchment and tied it to Hedwig's leg.

"Give this to Draco Malfoy tonight at dinner, okay?"

The owl hooted once more and flew up to her former roost to await the time to do her job.

Harry quickly gathered his things and left, running down the stairs. He made a sharp left turn at a tapestry and, after going through a long, hidden corridor, came out on the third floor. He sprinted through the halls, barely making it to Charms on time.

XXXXXXXX

The rest of Harry's day passed in a blur. He thought he remembered something about glamour charms, but that was about it. His last class, History of Magic, did nothing to help his stupor. He was completely in his own world by the time dinner arrived. Ron and Hermione shared a glance, but decided to leave him alone.

The newly united Trio looked up as Ginny sat in front of them, though Harry's view of the Slytherin table remained unobstructed. After giving her greetings to Ron and Hermione, she turned her attention to Harry.

"Harry, I heard-" she cut herself off when she noticed the other's lack of attention.

"Harry?" still receiving no response, she grew red in the face with annoyance.

"HARRY!" she shouted, though not loud enough to gain attention. She watched as he jumped visibly, then began looking around in confusion.

"Huh, what? Oh! Ginny…when did you get here?"

Ignoring his question, said girl returned to her original train of conversation. "I heard what you did earlier today. Any particular reason you decided to ask Malfoy and not someone else?"

Harry shrugged. "He's the leader. It wouldn't be politically correct to ask anyone else."

Above them, Hedwig soared into the Hall. She circled once, then landed in front of Draco. He took the parchment off her leg and scanned it quickly. When he reached the end, he chuckled softly and looked up, gray meeting emerald in a locked gaze. After a minute of this, they nodded and looked away simultaneously. Harry turned to his friends and saw their confused expressions. He shrugged.

"He'll be there," he elaborated.

They watched as Hedwig took wing again before landing in front of Harry. She head-butted him in greeting and looked pointedly at his plate. He grinned and offered it to the owl, who then began to eat the choice bits of pork chop. When she had eaten her fill, she drank some pumpkin juice and left. Harry turned and saw his best friends still staring at him, this time in amusement.

"You _do _realize you spoil that owl, right mate?"

XXXXXXXX

At nine-thirty, one Harry Potter could be found pacing the Gryffindor common room with three of his closest friends watching with amusedly concerned expressions.

"Why are you so worried, Harry? It's only Malfoy."

Harry rounded on Ron. "Exactly! It's _Malfoy_! One wrong word and he'll never listen to me again. And if he doesn't listen, none of the Slytherins will."

Harry looked at the clock again. It now read nine forty-five.

"You know what? I'm just gonna go now."

He scooped up his invisibility cloak and walked out the door, slipping the cloak on as he went. Five minutes later, he was in front of the tapestry.

After the longest ten minutes of his life, Harry spotted three figures approaching him. He grinned when he spotted Draco's white-blonde hair. Closer inspection revealed that the two with him were Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson.

"See, Draco? Told you this was just another of the Golden Trio's plots."

Suddenly realizing he was still concealed by the cloak, Harry slipped it off quickly.

"It is not, as you say Zabini, a plot."

He smirked at the three startled faces in front of him, though Draco quickly hid his. He nodded his head in greeting.

"Potter."

"Malfoy. Zabini. Parkinson." Harry greeted each Slytherin in turn, bowing shallowly when he came to Pansy.

Draco and Blaise raised their eyebrows slightly, though the blonde hastily returned to business. "I've decided that I may take you up on your…offer, but I need some more information before I make a final decision."

Harry nodded. "I thought as much. We should have this conversation in a more secure area, though."

With the Slytherins' consent, Harry paced in front of the wall opposite the tapestry. A door handle appeared after the third time. Turning around, Harry faced his companions again.

"Would it be alright with you all if I posted a sentry? This door shouldn't reveal itself to anyone else, but you can't be too careful."

Draco bristled. "I'd _assumed_ from the wording in you're note that you'd come alone."

Harry shrugged. "I came without human company, if that's what you mean. So, will you let me or not?"

"Fine," Draco spat.

Harry smirked and let out a stream of hisses. He watched as Aurum slowly slithered down his arm, finally poking her head out of his sleeve. When he looked up again, he was met with a humorous sight. Blaise's eyes were wide open; he seemed to be in shock. Draco's were glazed over, and Pansy was practically drooling.

"So, I take it that means you lot like Parseltongue?"

This one question had the desired effect of snapping them out of their stupor. Before they could be embarrassed, Harry continued as though there had been no interruption.

"This is Aurum. _She_ is who I wanted to guard the door, not one of my other friends."

//The one in the middle smells nice.//

Harry blushed furiously. //Aurum! Would you mind _not_ saying things like that, especially about _Malfoy_?//

//Sorry. Will they let me taste them?//

"She wants to know if she can…taste you," Harry reluctantly translated. Draco snapped out of his hiss-induced trance and looked to his friends. When he received the affirmative, he nodded his consent.

They watched, this time with fascination, since they were expecting it, as Harry began hissing again. Aurum let herself be placed on the floor, then she made her way over to the three Slytherins. She went up Blaise's leg first, tongue flickering continuously. Finally, when she was level with his chest, she began hissing. Harry laughed when she was finished.

"What's so funny, Potter?"

"Sorry, Zabini. I know it's rude to laugh, but I couldn't help it. Aurum says that you taste of darkness that is constrained within you. However, there is also power, cunning, and a temper to match Ron's. I was just thinking about all the arguments you two are gonna have now that you're paired up."

Blaise blinked in surprise, but Draco's curiosity had been awakened.

"She got all of that just from tasting him?"

"Oh, yes. All snakes are able to read people like that, but Aurum is more perceptive than most."

The Aesculapian slithered back down Zabini's body, then bypassed Draco for the moment in favor of Pansy. The girl shuddered as the cold scales hit her flesh, but she didn't make a move to remove the snake. After a few minutes, Aurum told Harry what she tasted.

"She says that you taste like a very caring person," he began. "Evidently, you have Hermione's thirst for knowledge, though you constrain it much better than she does. You're also very loyal."

"How come there wasn't as much on me as there was on Blaise?" Pansy inquired, though it almost sounded like she was whining.

"Aurum's only telling me what you keep hidden, not what I can see for myself."

"Well, you'll be told _everything_ about Draco in that case."

Harry shrugged. "We'll see."

During this conversation, the snake was meticulously examining said blonde. She finally turned to Harry and began hissing in earnest. When she finished, Harry returned his attention to the Slytherin.

"Do you want to know everything she told me, or would you prefer a summary?"

Draco took a minute to consider his choices before replying. "I have a feeling that a summary would be the best option."

"Well, you're basically a combination of both Zabini and Parkinson. You have a ton of darkness and power within you, though you hold it in very well. To your true friends," Harry glanced at Pansy and Blaise, "you are very loyal, protective, and caring. You also care very much for all the Slytherins who are loyal to you, and would do anything to protect them."

The three Serpents blinked, surprised at such an in-depth description. Finally, Draco was able to gather his scattered wits.

"I don't think we came here for a personality analysis, Potter," he said scathingly. Harry grinned.

"All you had to do was say no." Before Draco could retort, he continued. "However, I agree that we're wasting time."

Harry turned the knob and swung the door open. He gestured to the Slytherins.

"After you."

The three Serpents cautiously crossed the threshold. Harry followed, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

Author's Notes: There's chapter three! This is most likely the last update until late November or December. I hate it, but school has to come first. Like last time, I'm still taking animagus suggestions for Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Pansy, and Blaise. With the new votes, here are the results at this point: 

Harry: panther (3x), tiger, lion (4x), snake (4x), phoenix, both snake and lion

Ron: snake, worm, rat (2x), rabbit (3x), weasel (5x), fox

Hermione: otter (2x), eagle, cat (5x), owl (5x), rabbit

Draco: white Bengal tiger (2x), snow leopard (3x), dragon (2x), snake (2x), bear, skunk (2x), panther (2x), ferret

Pansy: lizard, dog

Blaise: small dragon, niffler, eagle

As you can see, Pansy and Blaise don't have many suggestions at the moment. What is suggested for each character doesn't have to be on this list; it can be something original. Just remember to explain your reasoning if you can.

Thanks to the following people who reviewed chapter 2:

Njferrell  
Draco's Girl08  
Vinnie Valentine  
Laii-chan  
koorimechick  
CosmoMontana  
SwarmOfFanGirls  
StunningSpellRocks2345


	4. An Ability Revealed

Alright, here's chapter 4! Another dull one, but I still feel that it's necessary. I know the pace is kinda fast; that wasn't planned, it's just how things turned out. So, on with the disclaimer and the chapter!

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling.

"Speech"  
'Thought'  
XXXXXXXX scene change

* * *

When Harry looked at the Room's interior, he was only slightly surprised. The walls were green with silver designs. If one were to look closely, they would notice that these designs almost resembled small snakes. A cream-colored carpet covered the floor. A fireplace was set in the center of the back wall. There were two black sofas and a black armchair in front of this fireplace, all made of leather.

Slowly, he maneuvered himself so that he was standing next to Draco.

"Welcome to the Room of Requirement."

Draco turned to him while Blaise and Pansy continued to admire the décor.

"The _what_?"

"Room of Requirement. In this room, all you have to do is think about what you need, and it will appear."

"So what was up with the pacing in front of the wall?" Blaise asked.

"That's how the room appears. You pace in front of the wall three times, thinking about what kind of room you need. This is where the D.A meetings are held, by the way."

Once he was sure no other questions were forthcoming at the moment, Harry walked over to the fireplace and sat in the armchair. After looking at one another uncertainly, the Slytherin Trio followed his lead. Blaise and Pansy sat on one couch, while Draco sat on the other.

Harry reached into his pocket and withdrew his wand once his guests were settled. Seeing this, the Slytherins tensed, preparing for an attack. Harry ignored these reactions, instead extending the handle of the wand to Draco while he held the tip. Said boy slowly grasped the proffered weapon and put it into his pocket, next to his own.

"Why did you do that, Potter?" Pansy asked once she was certain that there wasn't a threat.

"Call it a gesture of good will. By disarming myself, I'd be less capable of causing you all harm if this _were_ a plot, which it isn't."

"Only less capable, not incapable?"

Harry shrugged. "I've been training. So, any specific questions?"

"What exactly _is_ the D.A?" Blaise inquired. "I mean, I've heard rumors, but I don't usually believe such things."

"Well, D.A is an acronym for Dumbledore's Army. The name's kinda misleading; we only gave the club that name because Umbridge and Fudge were so paranoid about Dumbledore creating an army of students to fight the Ministry."

Anyway, the D.A is a club where students can practice Defense. I'm adding other things, though Defense is still the main subject. You know when there's gonna be a meeting with these." Harry handed each Draco, Pansy, and Blaise one of the galleons Hermione had charmed the year before.

"The date and time are written on the side. If I change mine, the others heat up and let everyone else know that there's another meeting soon."

"Who's the leader of the club?" Pansy asked.

"I suppose I am, technically. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny are kind of co-leaders. They'll be taking a more active role this year. Ron has agreed to teach strategy, Hermione will teach research skills, and Ginny will teach basic curses and hexes."

Actually, I was wondering if any of you had any special skills that you'd be willing to teach. Especially you, Malfoy."

"Why me?"

"I know for a fact that you know at least a few Dark spells; I also know from experience that you're an excellent duelist. I would be grateful if you would help me teach those subjects."

"Wait a minute!" Blaise exclaimed. "You mean to tell me that Harry Potter, _Gryffindor's Golden Boy_, knows the Dark Arts? And not only that, but he intends to teach them to other students?"

Harry smirked. "Yep. Dumbledore taught me a few things over the summer, including the Dark Arts. And as for that title, I'm not as "golden" as everyone believes."

Pansy looked at him suspiciously. "How do we know this isn't a trick?"

"I _could_ do a demonstration."

"Without your wand?"

"Of course, Malfoy. How else will I convince you?"

When he received no response to this argument, Harry stood up from his seat.

'I need three glowing attack dummies," he thought to himself. No sooner had he though this than the dummies appeared in the center of the room.

"I would suggest that you three move to the corner and put up the strongest shield charms you can."

Upon seeing the dead-serious look in Harry's emerald eyes, Draco grabbed his friends and rushed to comply. When Harry was sure they were safe, he closed his eyes and extended his arms to either side of his body, palms out.

"A umbri!" he cried, voice husky with constrained power. A black, smoke-like substance began to exude from his body. The room, except for the glowing dummies, was completely engulfed within minutes.

"Cheironomia!"

The Slytherins watched in absolute shock as the shadows themselves began striking out at the dummies, leaving deep dents in the torsos. Pansy gulped as a head flew off of one of the targets, cleaving a path of light through the darkness.

After this had gone on for a few minutes, Harry decided that it was enough.

"Lumină!"

From near the center of the room, a ball of light appeared. As the light expanded, it was revealed that Harry was its source. The last of the shadows finally faded after what felt like an eternity to the Boy-Who-Lived.

The brunette swayed on his feet, worn out from the exertion of the magic he had cast. He flinched slightly as he fell, expecting to hit the ground. It was to his great surprise when a pair of strong arms caught him mid-fall. As he was gently lowered to the ground, Harry opened his eyes (which he didn't remember closing) and caught sight of none other than Draco Malfoy.

Draco was seated on the ground, Harry's head in his lap, when the shivering started. He closed his eyes in concentration, then opened them again when he heard a barely-audible 'pop.' He picked up the thick blanket that had appeared and wrapped it firmly around Harry's shaking shoulders.

"Thanks," he muttered softly, unconsciously nuzzling into the warmth of the other boy. Pansy and Blaise slowly sat down next to the pair, determinedly ignoring their friend's blush.

"I'll admit that was impressive, but I'd thought you would be able to handle it."

"I usually _would_ be able to, but it's been about a month since I've used those kinds of spells. Almost two months since I did them without a wand."

Blaise flinched, while Draco's eyes widened. "Well if that's the case, I'm surprised you didn't pass out after the first spell!"

Pansy frowned, absorbed in her own thoughts. "Does anyone else find it ironic that there's a Dark spell for light?"

The boys blinked at her, glanced at each other, and burst out laughing. She grinned, her mission accomplished.

The comfortable silence persisted for a few more minutes, until Draco broke it.

"Potter? I've decided that I will help you teach those classes."

Blaise looked up. "If Draco's teaching, then so am I. I don't know much in the way of spells, but I could teach about different magical creatures."

"I can't teach spells, either," Pansy cut in. "I could do Herbology, though."

Harry grinned at his new allies. "Thank you, guys. A course on magical creatures is a good idea, since they'll play a large part in the War. As for Herbology, we _do_ need a few plant specialists. However, two other people also approached me asking to teach these classes, and I told them I would allow it if I could find them partners. So both of you will be working alongside another person."

"Who?" they asked in unison.

Harry sat up slowly, still leaning on Draco for support. "Zabini will work with Remus."

"You mean our DADA teacher? Isn't he a werewolf?"

"Yes and yes. Parkinson, you're working with Neville. Before you say anything, I know he doesn't do so well in academics. The kid's a plant genius, though."

Pansy nodded after a moment of hesitation. "Fine, but I'm taking over the _instant_ he screws up."

"So, any more questions?"

Draco tried, but he couldn't resist asking, "Why was Weasel talking to you again? I thought you'd said it'd take a week."

Harry smirked. "I wasn't factoring in the 'tragedy' of being paired with Slytherins today. Besides, he has some power over others with his position of one of my best friends. He may usually act like a Gryffindor, but he has quite a few Slytherin tendencies."

After a moment, Blaise spoke up. "I know Aurum can tell Potter if there's someone right outside the room, but what about the rest of the school?"

"I've got that covered," Harry replied as he removed a piece of folded parchment from his pocket. He unfolded it, revealing that it was blank.

"Uh, you _do_ realize there's nothing on there?" Pansy asked skeptically.

"Not for long. My wand, Malfoy, if you please."

Draco dug into his pocket until he found the other boy's wand and handed it to him. The other three watched as he placed the tip of it on the center of the parchment.

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good," Harry muttered under his breath. He grinned at the Slytherins' faces as they watched the lines appear.

"So _this_ is how you got around without being caught," Draco murmured as he stared at the moving dots.

"It was my dad's. He and his friends made it while they were at school. Anyway, we could leave now if you want; Filch is in his office at the moment, and Snape is in the Astronomy Tower."

Pansy nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."

The four stood up, Harry stumbling slightly. Draco looked slightly concerned, but made no move to help, for which Harry was grateful. They walked out of the room. After Harry had shut the door, he scooped up Aurum and rushed to catch up with the Slytherins.

XXXXXXXX

Harry grinned to himself as he walked back to the Common Room from the dungeons. Upon parting, the Silver Trio (as he'd come to call them) had informed him that they would try to recruit more Slytherins after attending a few D.A meetings themselves. Harry thought the meeting had gone very well overall; he'd set himself on the path to earning the Slytherins' trust and respect.

"Flaming phoenix," he said when he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. As the portrait swung open, she muttered something about inconsiderate children.

Harry walked swiftly through the common room and up the stairs to the boys' dormitory, opening and closing the door as quietly as possible. He fell onto his bed, only divesting himself of his robes and glasses.

"Did your meeting go well?" a sleepy voice inquired from Ron's bed.

As Harry felt darkness envelop him, he grinned again.

"Better than I'd expected it to go, Ron," he replied softly as sleep wrapped him in its welcoming embrace.

* * *

Author's Notes: It's 12:30 in the morning, but I finished. I tried to kind of explain why Ron is on speaking terms with Harry again in this chapter. If people are still confused about the whole Ron thing, he's basically using Harry to maintain his social status. Harry knows this, but doesn't really mind at the moment.

There were a few odd words in this chapter; the meanings can be found below. I'm not going to list how the votes stand at the moment (it's getting difficult to keep track), but I am still taking them. I'm also not saying what the votes are for, since that was stated in the previous three chapters. Anyway…thanks for reading!

A umbri: Romanian for shadow

Cheironomia: Greek for shadow-boxing

Lumină: Romanian for light

These translations were found on online dictionaries, and as such may be inaccurate. I apologize if this is the case.

Thanks to the following people for reviewing chapter 3:

Gachnar  
SwarmOfFanGirls  
Yume Tsuki  
rooftop weapon  
smallvillewanabe4561  
koorimechick  
Xylia Luna Orion  
whisper in the wind33


	5. Silent Conversation

This is probably my last post for a while. Not only is the schoolwork picking up, but I'm also nearing the end of the pre-written chapters. I'm probably going to pre-write at least one more before I update again, so it'll probably be well over a month. On top of all _that_, Dairy Quiz Bowl is starting again. It lasts until January, so my time for writing is cut down even more. So don't be surprised if there are no updates until February or March, but I'll try not to let things get that bad.

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Never have, never will.

"Speech"  
XXXXXXXX scene change

* * *

"So they agreed?" Hermione asked the next morning at breakfast.

Harry nodded his head. "It took some convincing, but they're willing to try."

Hermione stared at him, while Ron ceased shoving scrambled eggs into his mouth. Harry sighed, knowing there would soon be another explosion of Mt. Hermione.

"What _kind_ of convincing?"

"Well, I introduced them to Aurum, showed them the location of the Room of Requirement, explained how the Room worked, gave Malfoy my wand for the duration of the meeting, told them what my plans for the D.A were this year, showed them some of what I'd been taught over the summer, and showed them the Marauders' Map," Harry listed, ticking each fact off on his fingers.

He watched in fascination as her lips thinned out more than he had ever seen McGonagall's do. Ron scooted away slowly, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire.

"In other words, you let them in on almost every secret you could think of and put yourself at their mercy."

Harry tuned her out, occasionally catching words such as "irresponsible" and "repeat of last year." He cast his eyes around the Great Hall. Inevitably, they came to rest on a certain Slytherin.

Draco looked up, glanced at the still-yelling Hermione, and smirked. Harry rolled his eyes at the blonde and glanced at Pansy, who had latched herself onto the other boy's arm. If he felt a pang of annoyance at the girl, he ignored it.

He laughed softly as Draco gently pushed Pansy away. The blonde seemed to hesitate, then glanced out the window and back at Harry, who nodded.

When Harry returned his attention to his own table, he saw that most of the Gryffindors had been watching his silent conversation. He looked up when he felt someone watching him. Draco looked away, his gray eyes glittering with suppressed laughter. Harry glanced up and down the Slytherin table and smirked, encouraging Draco to repeat the action. Draco did so and flushed lightly when he realized he was under the same scrutiny as Harry.

After this small transaction, they returned their attention to their respective housemates, not noticing that they now held the attention of many of the other students as well.

"Care to explain that, Harry?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Malfoy was watching you yelling at me and found it amusing. I pointed out that Parkinson was clinging to him like a leech, at which point he pushed her away. Just now he was laughing at the fact that most of the table was watching me. I informed him that he was in the same predicament." Harry didn't think it wise to mention that he'd accepted an invitation to go flying.

"How do you do that?" Ron asked once most of the attention had been lost.

"Do what?"

"Communicate with Malfoy across the bloody Great Hall!"

Harry thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I just do, don't really know how."

After a few more minutes of interrogation, Harry stood up and walked out of the Hall. Draco soon followed, glaring daggers at the Gryffindors on the way out. Those who saw the glare, Hermione and Ron included, blinked; it almost looked like Malfoy was defending Harry,

Said boy was waiting for Draco in the Entrance Hall, having had the feeling that he would be followed. He sighed in relief when the blonde rounded the corner.

"What's wrong, Potter? Thought they were going to jump me?"

Harry grinned. "Yes, actually."

XXXXXXXX

The strange duo had made their way to the Quidditch pitch after this brief interlude. Unbeknownst to them, they had been followed by Blaise, Hermione, Pansy, and Ron, all of whom were curious about where the two were going. The four of them hid in the bleachers while Draco and Harry retrieved their brooms from the broom shed. When they returned to the pitch, they launched themselves into the air.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked impatiently while watching Harry dig in his pockets.

"Just looking for- AHA!"

Harry pulled his hand from his pocket, revealing a Snitch. He set a dial on its side to eight and released it.

"You carry a Practice Snitch around with you?"

"Had a feeling I'd need it today."

This was the last of the conversation. The two rose into the air, chasing the golden ball that only they, because of their Seeker training, could see. After about half an hour of increasingly daring flying, Harry went into a vertical dive at full speed. Blood pounded in his ears as he dove even faster. He extended his hand and closed it in mid-air. Realizing his quick approach to the earth, he pulled up sharply, his toes grazing the ground. When he reached his previous altitude once more, it was to be met by a flustered Malfoy.

"WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?!"

"Um…getting the Snitch," Harry replied meekly, floored by this outburst.

"Getting the Snitch. GETTING THE SNITCH! And _what_ would have happened if you hadn't pulled up in time, hm? You'd be a POTTER PANCAKE! Then what would have happened to me? I'd be fucking CONVICTED for the MURDER of the BOY-WHO-WON'T-BLOODY-DIE!"

When Draco paused to catch his breath, Harry began laughing hysterically.

"What is so bloody funny!"

"I like that title _much_ better than the Boy-Who-Lived. It's _way_ more accurate."

Draco though back over what he'd said, then began laughing as well when he realized what Harry was referring to.

"That's been my personal title for you for years. I can't believe it just slipped out like that!"

By this point, they had lost so much altitude that they were able to safely jump to the ground. When they did so, they looked up and noticed the four sets of eyes watching them for the first time.

"Uh, Malfoy? We're being watched," Harry stage whispered.

"I'd noticed," Draco responded dryly.

"You want to shout a little louder, Draco?" Blaise asked jokingly. "I don't think the East Side of the castle _quite_ heard you."

Draco blushed fiercely, a sight neither Ron nor Hermione had ever witnessed.

"Malfoy's right, though," Hermione said after overcoming her shock. "You could have killed yourself!"

"Mate, that was bloody AMAZING! Why have you been holding back on us?" Ron asked slightly accusingly.

"Same reason Malfoy has."

"Which is…"

"You'll have to ask _him_, not me."

Ron stared at his friend. "You've been holding back for the same reason Malfoy has, but you don't even know what that reason _is_?"

Harry nodded with a straight face, then lost it completely when he made fleeting eye contact with Draco. The two collapsed in laughter at the same time, gasping for breath.

Pansy stared at them. "Our friends are nutters."

Looking at the two rolling on the ground laughing like maniacs, all Blaise, Hermione, and Ron could do was nod and agree with her.

* * *

Author's notes: I realize this chapter's short, but it's mostly meant to be a filler. I'm still taking animagus suggestions. However, I now have another poll. What song do you think fits best with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Pansy, and Blaise? This is based on their personalities in this fic, not in the books. It would be appreciated if the titles (and artists if you know them) were sent in with the reviews.

Thanks to the chapter 4 reviewers:

Roxel-  
melissa  
Xylia Luna Orion  
cyiusblack  
SwarmOfFanGirls  
GreenEyedCatDragon


	6. More Convincing

I am so sorry about the long wait! I have two major projects going on at school right now, so I'm extremely short on time. It's finally Thanksgiving Break! If nothing else, I can at least get this chapter posted.

Disclaimer: As much as I hate being reminded of this fact, I do not own Harry Potter.

"Speech"  
XXXXXXXX scene change  
//Parseltongue//

* * *

The rest of the week continued in a similar fashion. While Draco and Harry still didn't talk too often, it was obvious to anyone who paid attention that their rivalry was crumbling. Finally, it was the first day of the activities.

"Hopefully, Zabini won't screw us up too badly."

"Well, at least Zabini has half a brain on him. I'm stuck with the airhead!"

Ron and Hermione stared at Harry, awaiting his complaint.

"Sorry guys. I got nothing."

They gaped at him while Ginny chuckled to herself.

"It figures that the one partnered with his bitter rival of six years is the only person not complaining."

Harry shrugged. "There's nothing to complain _about_. Dr-Malfoy knows what he's doing."

"Did you just almost call him Draco?"

This question caused Ron to spit out his mouthful of Pumpkin Juice, much to the disgust of Lavender Brown. Ginny was laughing hysterically by this point. The small group was now the center of attention at the Gryffindor table.

"So what if I did?"

Ron's ears turned red, clashing horribly with his hair. "He's bloody M-" Harry quickly cast a wordless Silencing Charm, successfully cutting off the remainder of the redhead's exclamation.

"I'll remove it once you've calmed down a little."

Ron glared at his friend, then resolutely returned his attention to breakfast.

"So you really have no complaints?"

"None other than his being a stubborn git. I'm used to that, though." He grinned as Ron slapped him on the back of the head. "Besides, he got Aurum's approval. Zabini and Parkinson did too, by the way. They're smart, but they're also Slytherins to the core. You have to earn their trust before they shed their masks."

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny stared at Harry in shock.

"And you know this…how?" Ginny asked skeptically.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I _did_ say that I wasn't repressing my Slytherin side anymore. Besides, what Aurum told me of their personalities convinced me that they are acting when in public."

Ron began gesticulating furiously. After being assured that he wouldn't start yelling again, Harry cast the counter charm.

"What were some of the things that snake told you, then?"

Harry shook his head. "Sorry, Ron. I'm not telling."

"And why not?"

"That would break what little trust I've been able to gain."

"But Harry-"

//Enough!// Aurum hissed viscously as she poked her head out of Harry's sleeve, extending her fangs. //I may not have venom, but I can still bite!//

Harry stroked the serpent's head soothingly. //He can't understand you, Aurum. Now please hide again before you call attention to yourself.//

As the snake complied, Harry turned back to his friend. "Ron, please don't make me fight with you over this."

Said boy visibly deflated, causing Hermione and Ginny to sigh in relief.

"All right, Harry."

XXXXXXXX

The rest of breakfast was relatively uneventful. As the Golden Trio stood to walk to Transfiguration, Ginny remained firmly seated.

"You coming, Gin?"

She shook her head. "You guys go ahead. I want to avoid the dungeons as long as possible."

They chuckled and nodded understandingly before walking away. As the threesome reached the top of the first floor corridor, a voice called out to them.

"Have fun ratting us out _Potter_?" Draco spat out, his voice containing more venom than it'd had all year.

No more words were exchanged until the three Slytherins were level with the Gryffindors.

"I revealed nothing of importance," Harry replied in what sounded like a scathing tone, though there was a buried note of hurt within it.

"Then what were the Gryffindors paying so much attention to this morning?" Blaise asked accusingly.

Harry sighed, realizing he'd have to use yet another ability he'd gained over the summer.

"You had best follow me if you want answers."

That said, he walked away, the rest of the group following. He pulled back a tapestry of Gondoline Oliphant sketching a group of trolls, revealing a small hidden room. Harry glanced quickly at his friends and looked at Draco in askance. The fair boy sighed in defeat.

"If they must be here, then so be it."

Harry nodded gratefully and gestured for Ron and Hermione to follow the Slytherins. They glanced at their friend apprehensively, but did as they were bidden. Harry followed the others inside and allowed the tapestry to fall shut behind him.

"_Lumos_," Hermione muttered. The light from her wand revealed that the room was designed in a similar fashion to the Common Rooms, though there was no fireplace present. Portraits of various people hung upon the walls, though most were faded with age. Against the far wall was a large bookshelf that was covered with faded tomes. A dull gray carpet, formerly silver, covered the floor. Two couches were present. These couches, which used to be midnight blue, were covered in a thick layer of dust that dulled their color.

"I only plan to do what I'm about to do to Malfoy, though I will also do it to Zabini and Parkinson if he deems it necessary."

"We'll see," Draco replied slowly. "Now, what _exactly_ are you going to do to me?"

"I'm going to temporarily invade your mind." Harry held up a hand to stop the angry retorts. "I will not go through your memories. Instead, I will allow you to see a portion of mine; more specifically, the conversation I had with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny this morning. As I'm sure you already know, it takes time to drastically alter memories, time I have not had. It's up to you whether or not to believe me. Before I proceed, I need your permission."

Draco bowed his head in thought for a few minutes. When he looked up, his eyes were set in determination.

"You may proceed. However, if any harm comes to me, you will allow Blaise and Pansy to attack you, and Weasley and Granger are not to intervene."

Harry nodded his assent to these conditions and locked eyes with the blond. After a few minutes of awkward staring, they seemed to fall into a trance. A thin golden strand of light extended from Harry's temple to Draco's, connecting them. This light remained for five minutes, during which time Hermione continuously glanced nervously at her watch.

"We're gonna be-" she was shushed by the others in the room before she could finish. Hermione huffed and crossed her arms in annoyance, tapping her foot impatiently. The light began to recede right after she did this. When it was completely gone, the boys snapped out of their trance simultaneously. Draco shook his head and watched as the other boy began to sway. He ran forward and caught him as he fell, causing Harry to chuckle.

"Déjà vu," he muttered under his breath, causing the fair boy holding him to grin slightly.

"You're not gonna start shivering this time, right?" Draco joked.

"Shivering…Harry, you showed them Dark Magic last week, didn't you?"

Harry nodded as he sat up slowly, wanting to give his head a minute to adjust.

"So…what kind of magic was that?" Pansy asked curiously. Blaise rolled his eyes at the girl's predictable behavior, though she pretended not to notice.

"Gray. It's considered Dark to invade the mind of another, but Light to share memories that could benefit other people. When magic has traits that could be used both for the harm and benefit of others, it is considered Gray."

This explanation given, Harry tentatively tested his legs. When they held firm, he shook away the last of the fog clouding his mind and looked up.

"Now that that's taken care of, let's get going before we're too late."

Everyone else present nodded, and the group left.

XXXXXXXX

Despite their best efforts, they were five minutes late for class. Hermione was close to tears because of this fact, terrified of the disapproval of her mentor.

"And _what_ is you're explanation for being late to my class?"

Harry stared McGonagall in the eye. "We apologize, Professor. We were working out a misunderstanding that could have influenced our participation in this program for the worst, not to mention potentially distracting the entire class."

McGonagall appeared to be thinking through his words, trying to find a lie. "Well, did you sort everything out?" she finally asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

She pursed her lips and turned away. Taking that as their dismissal, the group sat at a table with their respective partners. When he felt eyes on him, Harry turned in his seat. The class was openly staring at him in shock and resentment. Harry knew the reason behind their actions; no one had ever managed to talk their way out of trouble with this particular teacher before.

"In my class, you will hopefully learn to trust your partner. You will transfigure one partner into their animagus form. The transfigured person will then be in the care of their human partner for one week at which point the roles will be switched. Before we do this, though, you will practice transfiguring inanimate objects into various animals. Now, any questions?"

Hermione raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

"What will we do about our other classes? I mean, it'll be a bit difficult to hold a wand or stir a potion if half the class doesn't have opposable thumbs."

"The curriculums for your other classes have been arranged to accommodate for this. Now, if there are no more questions, you may begin. You are to transfigure the dolls in front of you into ferrets."

Harry glanced sideways at Draco just in time to see his face drain of all color. He turned to Harry worriedly, apparently not concerned about his reputation at the moment.

"What happens if someone loses control of the spell? What if I get hit? What if-"

"Malfoy!" Harry interrupted before the rant could continue. "Calm down. The odds of that happening are slim to none. And if it _does_ happen, I'll be able to sense it and put up a shield before you get hit with it."

Draco stared at him. "Summer?"

"Summer," Harry confirmed.

As the blonde returned his attention to the doll in front of him, Harry sighed in exasperation.

'I guess some traumas never go away,' he thought to himself, after which he turned to his own doll.

* * *

Author's Notes: There's chapter six! Long wait, relatively short chapter. But don't despair! I have chapters seven and eight pre-written (chapter eight was a monster!). All I have to do is type them up and post. So far the most popular animagus choices are as follows:

Harry: Panther

Ron: Weasel

Hermione: Owl

Draco: Snow leopard

Blaise: Eagle

Pansy: Dog

So, who's happy that they finally know what I plan to do with the animagus suggestions? I know I am! I'll also post the songs that have been suggested for each person so far.

Harry: "Buttons" by The Pussycat Dolls

Ron: "Gimme That" by Chris Brown

Hermione: "Another Sad Love Song" by Toni Braxton; "Hero" by Mariah Carey

Draco: "Smooth Criminal" by Michael Jackson; "24/7" by Kevon Edmonds

Pansy: "Thug Style" by Ciara

Below are songs that I thought would suit some of the characters. Let me know what you think!

Harry: "World We Live In" by Stricken; "The Kill" by 30 Seconds to Mars

Draco: "What I've Done" by Linkin Park

Hermione: "Who Knew?" by Pink

Okay, time to wrap up this ridiculously long AN! I'm still taking both song and animagus suggestions, and will also take comments about the songs listed above. I'll try to post chapter 7 before the week's out, but I'm not making any guarantees.

Thanks to the Chapter 5 reviewers:

koorimechick  
dgpolo  
whisper in the wind33  
GreenEyedCatDragon  
CryptoSquirrel  
Gwaeren  
cyiusblack  
Xylia Luna Orion  
SwarmOfFangirls  
T.Felton  
PaddyWaddy  
amber v  
LiLY  
scintillating


	7. Lunchtime Reunion

It's kinda hard to believe I'm on chapter 7 already. Honestly, I'm in shock at the response this fic has received since I first posted it. This is definitely the last chapter I will post for about a month. Chapter 8 is nine and a half pages long on notebook paper, so it will take forever to type up. Besides, I need to crack down on my Thanksgiving Break assignments. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for reading my story and let you know that I haven't died if I haven't posted for a while.

Disclaimer: The Golden Trio, the Silver Trio, and their associates are neither my property nor my idea.

"Speech"

XXXXXXXX- scene change

* * *

Despite Draco's concern, the worst thing that happened during Transfiguration was that both Neville and Goyle simultaneously turned their dolls into giant tarantulas. This caused Ron, who was sitting next to them, to leap behind Blaise while yelping in fear. Blaise's response was to roll his eyes and return the arachnids to their original state. 

The class bolted from the room as soon as they were dismissed, Draco and Ron sighing in relief. This caused Harry to snigger. When Draco glared at him, he held up his hands in self-defense.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but you and Ron agreeing on something is a sight I never thought I'd see."

Hermione and Pansy giggled at the boys' gob-smacked expressions. Draco and Ron were less amused. As Ron opened his mouth to retort, he was cut off.

"Well, Potter," Draco snarled menacingly. "You have excellent observational skills. Too bad I have to kill you because of them."

Harry grinned at the blond. "Catch me if you can!" With that, he turned tail and ran. Draco growled and charged after him, ramming through a group of first year Hufflepuffs.

When their friends finally caught up to them, the boys were waiting in the Entrance Hall. Draco was panting furiously, but Harry's only sign of exertion was a slight quickening of breath.

"You need to run more often, Malfoy," he teased. "It wasn't even that far!"

Draco scowled. "Yeah, well, not all of us are half gazelle!"

"It's half stag, actually."

The Slytherins blinked, wondering if he were serious, while Hermione and Ron put their hands over their mouths to keep from laughing obnoxiously. Upon seeing the Silver Trio's dumbfounded looks, Ron lost it completely. Hermione, however, managed to get herself back in check.

"It's an inside joke. Maybe Harry will explain it to you later, since he's so keen on revealing his secrets."

Harry and Ron rolled their eyes. "Are you _still_ going on about that, Herms?" Ron asked in exasperation.

"I'm surprised you're not reacting in a similar fashion… and don't call me Herms!"

"Do they do this all the time?"

Harry nodded. "Yep. It's kinda funny at first, but gets stale after the fifth time. By the tenth, their arguing is just plain annoying."

Draco shook his head in pity. "I know what you mean. Blaise and Pansy were the same way before they started going out."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Figures. The chances of Ron admitting that he likes Hermione like that are pretty much equal to three dragons flying into the school. So, who wants to eat lunch outside?" he asked loudly, successfully breaking up the bickering of his two best friends.

"But we don't have time! By the time we get our food and get out there, we'll only have five minutes until we're late for Charms and-"

"Hermione! We have an hour. Harry can ask Dobby to set up a picnic in our usual spot; we'll eat quick and have time to spare."

Draco cocked his head. "Dobby? He was my family's house elf before Father freed him as a punishment for disobedience. You mean to tell me that he works here now?"

Harry nodded. "Yep, but he wasn't freed as a punishment; he was set free because I tricked your father into giving him a sock."

The blonde's eye twitched. "Fooled by a twelve year old boy! Just how low has my family fallen?"

"Pretty damn far."

"It was a rhetorical question, Weasel!"

While this new debate was going on, Harry had summoned Dobby and asked him to take a picnic basket to the Golden Trio's usual place. When he turned around, he saw that Draco and Ron were engaged in a war of words that had somehow degraded to the usual petty insults. The others were looking from one arguer to the other, looking like they were watching a particularly interesting tennis match. Harry groaned in frustration.

"Guys?"

When he got no response from the quarreling duo, he tried being a little louder.

"Guys!"

Harry gave up when he still received no response. He turned his attention to the spectators.

"When they stop fighting, will one of you tell them I've already left?"

When Blaise nodded absentmindedly, Harry began to walk toward the castle doors.

"Yeah? Well at least my family isn't composed of a bunch of muggle-lo-"

Draco cut himself off mid-rant and glanced around frantically. He looked at the entrance to the school just in time to see Harry opening the large oaken doors. As the brunette walked outside, Draco snapped back into his senses.

"Harry! Wait up, you bloody git!" he exclaimed as he raced after the other boy.

"Did Draco just call Potter 'Harry'?" Blaise asked, dumbfounded. The others nodded the affirmative numbly, too shocked to do more.

XXXXXXXX

Harry glanced back when he heard his name being called, but continued on when he saw that it was Draco. He broke into a sprint when the fair boy was right behind him. A loud groan was heard, followed by the sounds of pursuit.

After about five minutes of running, Harry skidded to a stop underneath the branches of a large willow tree. A minute later, he was tackled to the ground by a silver-blonde blur.

"How _dare_ you leave me alone with Weasel in the middle of an argument!" Draco hissed.

"Um… Pansy, Blaise, and Hermione were there."

"Do you honestly think they could stop Weasley if he decided to attack me?"

"Yes, actually."

"And how, exactly, would-"

"Well, isn't _this_ a compromising position?"

The boys looked up when they heard Blaise's smug voice. He was smirking knowingly, the girls were giggling, and Ron was green in the face. After a minute of gawking at their seemingly insane friends, the boys decided to see what position, exactly, Blaise was referring to.

Draco was straddling Harry's waist while holding the other boy's hands above his head. Their robes were entangled almost to the point of hopelessness, and their faces were separated by mere centimeters. Both faces were flushed from their sprint. Draco's hair, which he had decided to wear without gel, was mussed slightly, while Harry's was even messier than usual. Somehow, Harry's tie had loosened during the minor tussle, and it now hung loose around his neck.

Harry struggled not to let his somewhat modest nature overpower him, but Draco returned the smirk.

"The position Potter and I are in is nowhere _near_ as compromising as the one I found you and Pansy in last Christmas, Blaise."

It was now the Slytherins' turn to blush as Ron and Hermione laughed uproariously. Draco calmly got off of Harry during this distraction and pulled his counterpart to his feet.

"So…welcome to the hang-out of the Golden Trio," Harry said after an awkward moment had passed.

Ron looked around in confusion. "Where's the food?"

Right on cue, Dobby popped into the middle of the group, clinging to a picnic basket.

"Dobby do as Harry Potter asked. Is there being anything else Dobby can do for Harry Potter?"

"No thanks, Dobby, the food is enough."

As Dobby nodded his head reluctantly, he caught sight of Draco.

"M-Master Draco!" Dobby threw himself to the ground at the blonde's feet, sobbing. "Dobby sorry, Master Draco! Dobby is a _bad_ house elf!" He began slamming his head into the earth repeatedly. Harry, eyes wide, bent down to stop the frantic elf, but Draco shook his head. He bent down and firmly held Dobby's shoulders, keeping the elf from moving.

"Dobby," he said slowly. "My family and I are no longer your masters. You were given clothes; you are free. There is no need to punish yourself on behalf of the Malfoy name."

The elf was still whimpering, but his efforts at self-harm had ceased. When Draco cautiously released his hold, Dobby threw himself at the blond and locked him in a suffocating embrace.

"Thank you, Mister Draco, sir! You are being the most kind of Dobby's old masters! Dobby be loyal to you like Dobby is being loyal to Harry Potter!"

"Uh, Dobby?" Harry hesitantly interjected. "Perhaps you could let Malfoy go now?"

The elf leapt away quickly, leaving Draco gasping for breath. "Dobby is going back to the kitchens now. Call Dobby if Harry Potter or Mister Draco be needing anything!"

Before a response could be formulated, Dobby disappeared with a loud _pop_. They stared at the place where the house elf once stood.

"Was he always that…eccentric?" Harry asked after a moment.

"Worse, actually. The stack of hats suits him. Don't you agree?

"Tell that to Hermione. She made most of those during fourth year."

"Oi! Are you two eating or not?"

Draco and Harry turned and saw that their friends had snatched away the picnic basket during the chaos. They had already started lunch, not overly concerned with Dobby's outburst. Draco and Harry ran towards the picnic and grabbed some slices of bread and shrunken food.

"_Engorgio._"

When the meals had expanded to their normal size, they began eating frantically. The food was pushed away after only half had been devoured. Harry leaned pack, leisurely nibbling on a piece of bread.

"Is that all you're eating?" Hermione asked in concern.

"Yeah. Big breakfast."

Hermione stared at Harry, but decided to let him slide this time. Meanwhile, Pansy rounded on Draco.

"Well, what's your excuse?"

"Uh…big breakfast?"

"Big breakfast my ass! You spent the whole time being paranoid about what Potter was saying!"

Draco's face turned a light pink. "That doesn't mean I didn't eat," he muttered sullenly.

"Oh yes it does! I had to resort to threats just to make you get a piece of bacon down!"

The Golden Trio watched the argument in interest while Blaise rolled his eyes.

"I _thought_ they'd gone too long without arguing."

Harry smirked. "Parkinson is reminding me more and more of someone else I know. I bet that now Malfoy is going to cross his arms and pout, causing her to drop the subject."

Draco crossed his arms in frustration and stuck out his lower lip.

"Oh no, mister! Don't you _dare_ give me that face!"

In response, Draco just looked up at her from under his bangs, eyes shining. Pansy's face softened.

"Alright, alright! You win."

As soon as this proclamation was made, Draco uncrossed his arms and smirked.

"I knew you'd see it my way."

Ron stared at Harry in shock. "Mate, how do you _do_ that?"

"I've had the same argument with Hermione a lot," he replied, shrugging. "That's what I usually do when I want her to drop the subject."

Up at the castle, the warning bell tolled. Hermione looked towards the sound with frantic eyes.

"Oh, Merlin! WE'RE LATE!"

"Hermione, that was the warning bell! We still have five…minutes." By the end of Ron's sentence, Hermione was gone. All that remained was a trail of dust. Harry stood up and cleared the area with a wave of his wand.

"Shall we?"

The five of them bolted, running up the castle stairs at full speed. Harry shut the door after he entered and chased after the others. He soon pulled in front of Draco, who was in the lead.

"Almost there!" Ron managed to pant after three minutes had passed. They fell through the open Charms door, one after the other, as the final bell rang. The door shut magically behind them, alerting any stray students still in the halls that they were late. Hermione looked smugly down at the squirming mass from her seat, eyebrow raised.

"Excellent timing! Now if you would get in your seats so I can begin class?" Flitwick squeaked from his podium, obviously amused.

"Next time, we eat lunch _inside_," Draco grumbled from his place beneath Harry.

"You've got _that _right," was the muffled response.

* * *

Author's Notes: There's chapter 7! Finally got a hint of slash action in there. Sorry if Dobby's dialogue is a little messed up. I'm not really sure about how he's supposed to talk, exactly. Here's how the song suggestions stand thus far: 

Harry: "Buttons" by The Pussycat Dolls; "The 8th Square" by The Cruxshadows; "The Kill" by 30 Seconds to Mars (2x); "My World" by The Sick Puppies

Ron: "Gimme That" by Chris Brown; "Sinking" by The Cruxshadows

Hermione: "Another Sad Love Song" by Toni Braxton; "Hero" by Mariah Carey (2x); "Sophia" by the Cruxshadows; "Who Knew" by Pink

Draco: "Smooth Criminal" by Michael Jackson; "24/7" by Kevon Edmonds; "Eye of the Storm" by the Cruxshadows

Blaise: "Boy" by Darren Hayes

Pansy: "Thug Style" by Ciara; "Resist/R" by The Cruxshadows

I'm still taking suggestions for both songs and animagus forms, so send 'em in! This is probably the last time I'll post song suggestions (they get a bit cumbersome). However, as you can see, poor Blaise has been all but forgotten. The next chapter will most likely serve as a Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza/other holiday gift.

Thanks to the following chapter 6 reviewers:

GreenEyedCatDragon  
amber v  
scintillating  
Xylia Luna Orion  
Wayward Fool  
SwarmOfFanGirls  
Gwaeren  
StunningSpellRocks2345  
smallvillewanabe4561


	8. Defense Class

Finals are finally finished! Just a heads up: this chapter was mostly written in 10-minute intervals whenever I had a little spare time. There is a lot here because I got a little caught up. I am crap at writing fight scenes, so let me know of any improvements if you could be so kind. That said, on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: If you haven't gotten the idea by now, you are slower than a rock. However, for legal purposes, I will state for the umpteenth time that I do not own any of the characters.

"Speech"  
'Thought'  
_Replayed images_

_

* * *

_

"I can't _believe _we're being forced to sing against our will! You would think Flitwick would give us a choice," Ron griped as they exited Charms. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"It's not that bad. I think learning your inner song sounds kind of interesting."

"You would," Ron muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Ronald?"

"Nothing!"

"This argument's somewhat pathetic, isn't it?"

Harry jumped in surprise and whirled around, wand in hand.

"Holy shit, Dr-Malfoy! Don't come up behind me without warning like that!"

Draco smirked smugly. "What's wrong, Potter? Skittish?"

"You would be too is someone had been trying to kill you every year of your life since you were one!"

Ron discretely rolled his eyes, but the others looked thoughtful. Harry gulped, realizing what he'd let slip.

"Uh, Harry? What did you mean just now? Everyone knows about the time you were one, and Ron and I know about eleven through fifteen, but what about two through ten?"

"Um, well, you see…" Harry glanced desperately at his watch.

"Oh, would you look at the time! We're gonna be late for Defense!"

That said, Harry high-tailed it towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, leaving behind the curious and slightly concerned group. He skidded to a halt outside the door.

"Huh. I'm the first one here for once."

Harry sighed and leaned back, his right leg propped on the wall behind him. He crossed his arms in irritation at himself.

'Stupid, stupid, _stupid_!' he mentally berated himself. 'How could I let _that_ slip, of all things? Now Hermione and Pansy are gonna wrack their brains trying to figure it out, though Pansy will be less obsessive, thankfully. Ron's probably trying to find a way to use this information to his advantage. At least I know Blaise will leave me be…for now. Draco…what _will_ Draco do? The guy's got too many damn sides to his personality.'

Harry wrenched himself from his reverie as he heard voices around him. Ron and Hermione were standing on either side of him, while the Silver Trio was huddled together a slight distance away.

"You don't plan to tell us what you meant, do you?" Hermione asked him sadly. Harry shook his head.

"I hadn't planned to, no."

She sighed in surrender. "Fine. I _guess_ we won't force you to tell us if you don't want to."

'Even though you'll try to figure it out yourself.'

Out loud, Harry said, "Thanks for understanding, Hermione." He turned to Ron. "What about you?"

A calculating look appeared in Ron's blue eyes, though he hid it well. "It's you're choice, mate. Tell us or not, we won't pressure you."

Harry nodded and turned as the door opened with an ominous creak. When no one beckoned them inside, most of the class simply shrugged and filed in as usual. However, something about the situation didn't ring true to Harry. Glancing around, he saw that the Silver Trio, Ron, Hermione, and Neville appeared to have the same feeling. He noticed that the Slytherins had moved closer as the corridor emptied of their peers, Draco taking Ron's place when the redhead moved to the back.

"I don't know about you guys, but something doesn't feel right to me," Neville muttered nervously.

Harry nodded. "I think we all feel that way." Taking a last look at the gaping doorway, he came to a decision.

"Like it or not, we have to go in there. There may be actual danger, or we may be paranoid. Either way, no unnecessary risks. Wands out! Draco and I go in first. Ron, you and Pansy get behind us. Hermione and Blaise, behind them." Harry then turned to Neville. "No offense, but I think you should get in the middle of the group."

"None taken. I know I'm not that good at magic, especially under pressure."

Harry placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. "Just remember what you learned in the D.A, and you'll be fine."

Once everyone was in position, Harry turned to Draco and nodded. Together, they led their friends through the doorway. The door slammed shut as Hermione and Blaise crossed the threshold. Within, the classroom was pitch black. Nothing could be seen, and the only sounds were those of the small group moving cautiously through the darkness. The seven teens unconsciously moved closer to one another.

"What was that?" Hermione asked nervously as Blaise tightened his grip on his wand.

"What was _what_, Granger?"

About the time Draco finished this question, Harry felt it too; a small breeze, as though someone had just run by.

"That answer your question?"

"Uh…yes."

"Okay, everyone get ready! Blaise, Hermione, you're on defense. Pansy and Ron are on offense. Draco, Neville, and I will fill in whatever's needed on the time."

Everyone gave the affirmative. They stood stock-still and tensed, waiting for the attack. When it came, it was from two directions at once.

"_Sectumsempra!_"

"_Expelliarmus!_"

"_Protego!_" four voices called out at once, successfully blocking the oncoming spells.

"At least now we know that we're against at least two opponents," Harry muttered to himself.

"Well, fat load of good that does us!"

"I wasn't talking to you, Malfoy!"

"Then who were you speaking to? Yourself?"

"As a matter of fact, I-"

"GUYS! Now is not the time!" Hermione interrupted as she blocked an oncoming curse.

Harry held up his left hand, deflecting a Stunning Spell.

"Right as usual, Hermione. _Homenum Revelio!_"

As he waved his wand around the room, their opponents began to glow. One was an earthy shade of green; the other a dark hue of blue. Harry and Draco glanced at one another and nodded once. When Harry turned to Hermione, about to ask, she sighed.

"Go on. Ron and I can take control from here."

When they got the go-ahead, the boys met eyes once more. Draco then ran right, towards the green opponent. Harry, surprisingly, chose to be stealthier. He crept forward, being as silent as possible, almost reminiscent of a panther stalking its prey.

"_Impedimenta!_"

Harry winced as he heard Draco go down and did his best to reign in the instinct to leave his target and go help. He suppressed a sigh of relief when he heard someone run over and take over the fight.

Turning his attention back to his own objective, Harry saw that the other was oblivious to his existence, mainly focused on attacking the group. He smirked, knowing he was about to enjoy himself a great deal.

"_Incendio!_"

The fire shot out of his wand and caught the other's robes in its blaze. Finally, Harry's opponent turned to face him. He mentally screamed in frustration when he saw that the face was obscured, despite the glow from the aura. After putting out the fire with Aguamenti, the blue figure faced Harry completely.

"_Sectumsempra!_"

Harry threw up a shield and, using his raw magic, grasped the darkness around them. He twisted and manipulated it so that the other person would be constricted, then he created a cloak for himself. Once completely enveloped, he knew he would be visible to no one.

The other had, by this point, somehow managed to free himself from the grasp of the shadows. The person twisted frantically, trying to locate Harry.

"_Homenum Revelio!_"

Harry began to glow a vivid emerald green, but his shadow cloak hid this fact from view. His opponent let out a growl of annoyance.

"_Sectumsempra!_"

Rather than aim at a particular target, the spell was fired completely at random. Harry heard a gasp of pain as one of his friends was hit. This one sound distracted him so much that he didn't notice the spell charging at him until it was too late.

Harry clenched his teeth as a white-hot pain seared across his left shoulder, suddenly finding himself thankful to Vernon and his intolerance of shows of pain. Already he could feel his blood flowing through the rip in his uniform. Drops of the crimson liquid dripped to the floor, creating a small puddle.

Even while making these observations, Harry could feel his strength fading away. He steeled himself for one final desperate assault. He focused on the iron contained within the pool of his blood on the floor. His magic soon shaped the plasma into a dagger, dripping with the substance of its creation. Splitting his focus, he took aim at his opponent while maintaining the knife's shape. Once certain he wouldn't miss, Harry envisioned the dagger embedding itself within his adversary, causing the real one to do the same thing.

Harry smirked triumphantly when he heard the pained gasp, followed by a heavy thud. The lights came on a second later, revealing the classroom full of students gaping at the scene of the fighting. The crumpled form of Severus Snape lay gasping heavily before Harry with the Blood Dagger protruding from his chest; Professor Lupin was unconscious in the corner, a small group of five surrounding the werewolf, and…

"Draco!"

Ignoring his own pain and setting aside his failing strength, Harry lurched toward the fallen blonde. He was much paler than usual and shaking fiercely, lying in a puddle of his own gore. Harry ripped off part of his robe and put it on top of the wound, applying pressure as gently as possible. He winced as the administrations caused his own injury to scream in protest, and his own life's blood to spurt from the slash. He looked up at his friends desperately, all of who seemed to be shell-shocked at the sight of so much blood.

"Guys…" he muttered weakly. Surprisingly, it was Neville who sprang to action first. He moved closer to Lupin and pointed his wand at the werewolf.

"_Ennervate._"

The professor's eyes flickered, snapping open when the scent of blood reached his heightened sense of smell. Upon seeing the carnage, he sprang up and bolted to Snape. He withdrew the Blood Dagger from the man's chest and placed it on the floor, where it returned to its original state. The wounded man sat up slowly as his stab wound re-sealed itself. Upon seeing Draco and Harry, his black eyes widened in a rare show of concern and he forced himself to stand. He and Remus strode to the injured boys, who had been surrounded by their friends.

"Move aside," Snape snarled. The others reluctantly complied, Ron and Hermione glaring at Snape while Neville hid behind them.

The two teachers knelt down next to their injured pupils. When Lupin tried to pull Harry away, he shook his head frantically and increased the compression on Draco's wound.

"That won't help him in the long run, Harry," Lupin sighed. "The only thing that will is if the counter curse is cast. Otherwise, you'll both die of blood loss."

Harry closed his eyes and allowed himself to be pulled away slightly, though Remus made sure that Draco was still within his charge's range of vision. When he heard Snape approach the blonde, his eyes snapped open and he growled low in his throat. Lupin raised an eyebrow at this action, but refrained from commenting.

The two professors began chanting simultaneously, their incantation sounding almost like a song. Harry soon felt the slash on his shoulder begin to knit up. Looking across at Draco, he saw that the same was happening to the slash on his right shoulder. Once both boys had taken some Essence of Dittany to help control scarring and a Blood Replenishing potion, Remus rounded on Snape.

"Damn you to Hell, Snivellus! I tried to tell you, didn't I? I _warned_ you not to cast that curse! But did you listen to me? OF COURSE NOT! 'I know what I'm doing, werewolf,' you said! 'I won't get carried away,' you said! Well, if this is you 'not carried away,' I'd hate to see you out of fucking control!"

At the end of his rant, Remus glanced behind him and received a reminder that they had an audience. He blushed slightly, but held firm.

"Was anyone seriously hurt, Lupin?" Snape retorted. "No. At least, not hurt beyond repair. If I had wanted to kill, I would have. Everyone is alive. No harm done."

When he saw the hurt expression flicker across Draco's face, the rage that had been held for six years overflowed.

"'No harm done'?" Harry snarled. He stood up swiftly, swaying slightly but not falling. He strode up to Snape and stared him in the eye. "There _is_ harm done when someone is hurt, regardless of them being healed. It was irresponsible of you, as our mentor, to cast that spell at opponents you _knew_ were students. If you and Professor Lupin had been seriously incapacitated, Draco and I could have died. And let me promise you one thing, Snape." Harry's eyes grew as hard as the gemstone they were so often compared to. Behind them, the class ducked as their bags and papers got caught in a fierce whirlwind.

You can cast that damn curse at me all you fucking want. Hell, you can even kill me if you want to. But if ever so much as _think _of casting it at Draco, or any of my friends, again, I will personally ensure that you rue the day you were conceived."

At the end of this speech, Lupin's solid oaken desk was split in half by a bolt of lightning. Snape simply glared at Harry.

"Fifteen points from Gryffindor, Potter, for threatening a teacher."

Harry shrugged, secretly relieved that his magical outburst was overlooked. "It was worth it."

"Another five points for having a smart mouth." Snape turned to Lupin. "Now if you will _excuse_ me, I have several important potions to finish." That said, the Potions Master turned on his heel and walked out the door, his robes billowing behind him.

Remus growled under his breath and turned to Harry, who was now swaying unsteadily. He glanced around at the seven students who had fought, then returned his attention to the brunette.

"Are you all right, Harry?" he asked, concern evident in his voice. "You seem to be in worse shape than everyone else."

Harry looked at the others for the first time since the fighting had ceased. They all had cuts and scrapes on their faces, and Neville's right cheek sported a large purple bruise. Overall, everyone but Draco and he appeared to have escaped with minimal damage.

"I'm fine. It's not as bad as it looks." As soon as he made this statement, his legs gave out on him. "Okay, maybe I'm _not_ so fine," Harry grudgingly admitted. Draco glared at him.

"Oh, of _course_ you're fine! You just can't stand, much less walk!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "It's not like you're any better."

"Oh yeah? Watch me!"

Draco heaved himself up and stood for all of three seconds before falling, landing across Harry's lap.

"This. Proves. Nothing."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Sure it doesn't, Draco," she said sarcastically. She and Blaise hoisted the blonde up while Ron and Hermione did the same with Harry. The six of them and Neville sat in the remaining seats, and Remus moved to the front of the room. He repaired his desk, causing Harry to blush in embarrassment, and turned to face his students. The class immediately silenced themselves when they saw that their professor was about to speak.

"That, students, was a test. A test that most of you failed miserably. Rather than listen to your instincts, you entered the dark, foreboding room like trained sheep. Had this been a real attack, you may have been killed or captured. We are at war; you can't afford to make mistakes like that."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Draco, Pansy, and Blaise listened to their instincts. They did not enter until they had a set, yet flexible, plan and everyone knew their role. For that, they each receive ten House Points and an Outstanding on this test."

The dark mist is similar to a Muggle video camera. It records everything that occurs within it, though it appears that the actions are occurring in a well-lit area. It also records audio. However, everyone outside of the mist was able to hear what occurred within if the sounds were loud enough. Now, any questions before we watch?

Seamus raised his hand. "Do we have to take notes?"

"I would recommend it, though note-taking is not required. Any more questions?"

"You said that it recorded everything, right? So that means we can see what was going on in a different part of the…arena, for lack of a better word?"

"Yes, Harry. Anyone else?"

When no one raised his or her hand, Lupin waved his wand in a complicated pattern.

"_Visum pugna scaena._"

A large white rectangle appeared in front of Lupin. The professor moved out from behind it and took a seat in his desk chair, which he'd moved so he could see. The lights in the room dimmed as pictures began to move across the screen. Harry watched as he and his friends entered the room. There were a couple of minutes of little action, then things began to pick up.

'It really is odd,' Harry decided, 'to see yourself fight.'

Since he already knew what had happened with him, he turned his attention to the others, particularly Draco.

* * *

_Draco charged at Lupin, who was glowing an earthy green. He slid to a halt a little ways from the man, seemingly contemplating his next move. However, he hesitated a little too long and was brought down with the Impediment Curse when he moved forward to have a better aim. He fell heavily, banging his elbow on the stone floor._

_Lupin stood over him, ready to cast the Stunner that would eliminate him from the battle. However, before his lips could even begin to form the words, Pansy cast a leg-locker curse at him. The curse only held long enough for Draco to stand and the others to get into the general area._

_Despite the hatred they had held for one another since practically day one, the Slytherins and Gryffindors worked well together. They seemed to know what the other would do before they did. _

_Hermione blocked a spell that was coming at Pansy while Ron tried to put Lupin in a full body-bind. However, the professor dodged the attack and retaliated, bringing the redhead down. Neville, covered by Blaise, managed to revive Ron before he could be removed from the fight. _

"_Thanks Neville. Any ideas, guys?"_

"_I've got nothing," Pansy replied. Hermione quickly threw up a shield to block a stinging hex, though she herself got hit with the residual blast when her shield wore off prematurely._

"_Wait a minute! What if whomever we're against had creature blood? They'd be more resistant to the spells we cast."_

"_Zabini, that's brilliant! What do you propose we do, though?"_

"_I think that's obvious, Granger. We all cast the stunning spell at the same time."_

"_You don't have to be so scathing, Malfoy!"_

"_Ron!" Hermione interrupted. "Malfoy's right. It's my fault for not thinking of the obvious."_

"_So, on the count of three, we stun him," Neville cut in, stopping the argument from getting out of control._

_The six of them lined up the best they could in the dark and took aim at Lupin, who was preparing to curse them._

"_One. Two. THREE!"_

"Stupify!_"_

_The six spells combined into one blinding red light as they hit their target. The professor fell to the floor, his wand falling out of his limp hand. Draco was hit by Snape's spell barely a second after this. His robe and the skin underneath split apart, spilling his blood. _

* * *

Harry unknowingly growled as he watched the blonde take the curse, as did Draco when Harry was hit. Hermione and Pansy glanced at each other knowingly as the rest of the fight played out. 

After Snape had been taken out of commission, Lupin rose from his seat and returned to the front of the room.

"Well, that was revealing," he mumbled. Those who heard this chuckled. "Five points to Slytherin for swiftly coming to the defense of allies, and five points for Blaise's correct assessment of the situation. Now, on to business. Your homework is to write half a scroll on what you saw today. It is also advisable to look at some spells commonly used in duels. Class dismissed!"

That said, Lupin sat down behind his newly repaired desk to grade papers while the students filed out of the classroom, gossiping about what they had watched.

* * *

Author's Notes: Told ya chapter 8 was a monster! Let me know if you think I should separate it into halves. There haven't been any new songs or animagus forms suggested. I've pretty much decided on Draco's song (I'm hooked). If anyone knows where I can listen to the song "The 8th Square," I would appreciate him or her telling me. The meaning of the spell Lupin used to conjure the screen can be found below. All the others were found on wikipedia. Finally, any questions can be asked in the review. I'll answer what I can. While it isn't exactly politically correct, I wish all my readers a Merry Christmas!

P.S. I finally figured out how to put the line things in...I hope.

Visum pugna scaena: view fight scene

Thanks to all the Chapter 7 reviewers:

Wayward Fool  
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Y-dO-u-CrY


	9. Bruised Reputation

Time for another update! This is basically another filler chapter. I'm sorry, but I seem to have a small case of writer's block. Never fear! I shall continue writing pointless chapters until the dam breaks. I finally got to watch Princess Mononoke this week, so maybe it'll give me some ideas.

Disclaimer: This is absolutely pointless. If I owned Harry Potter and its merchandise, do you honestly think I'd be writing fanfictions about it? I think not!

"Speech"  
XXXXXXXX- scene change

* * *

By that evening, word of the events that occurred in the Gryffindor/Slytherin Defense class had spread like wildfire. When the largest group of those involved entered the Great Hall, everyone else fell silent. Harry and Draco glanced at each other in confusion before heading their separate ways, their friends following. Ginny stared intently at the scarred boy after he'd taken his customary place at the table. After five minutes, he'd had enough. 

"What?"

"You actually hung out with the Slytherins for the _whole_ day?"

"Yeah. What of it?"

"And there were no arguments?"

"Nothing extremely serious, no."

Ginny raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Right," she muttered sarcastically, then changing the subject. "So I hear that DADA was interesting."

After Harry, Ron, and Hermione all recounted their version of events, Ginny was seething.

"You mean to tell me that Snape used a spell that was _obviously_ Dark against opponents he knew were students? And he got away with it?"

"Well, yeah. But Harry-"

"He _totally_ did!" Lavender exclaimed, interrupting Hermione. "It was awful! Poor Harry's shoulder was practically slit to the bone!"

Ginny glared at the Trio for omitting this fact while Harry rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"It wasn't that bad. Malfoy actually got it worse. The curse sort of glanced me, but he got the full brunt of it."

"Not that bad? Blood was everywhere! Besides, Malfoy's had it coming to him for years."

Harry, ignoring the sudden urge to tell Lavender off, sullenly returned his attention to his hardly-touched plate. Ginny steered her questions in a different direction after noticing his reaction.

"You said that Neville helped?"

"Oh, yes! He kept the arguments of the others from getting out of control, and he was the only one with enough sense to revive Professor Lupin. If he hadn't, Harry and Malfoy probably would've died."

Ginny rounded on the shy boy. "Why didn't you mention that, Neville?"

"W-well, I didn't do anything special," he stuttered, withering under the redhead's fiery gaze.

Ginny continued to interrogate them throughout supper, focusing most of her attention on Neville and her brother. Whenever Harry risked looking at the Slytherin table, he noticed that the Silver Trio, while not being questioned directly, was under the silent scrutiny of their housemates. Ginny and Hermione would glance knowingly at each other when they caught him.

Harry watched as the three Slytherins walked out of the Great Hall, unaware of his actions. He continued to stare at the doors until he heard his name being called.

"Harry, mate, snap out of it!"

"Oh, um, sorry Ron. You were saying?"

"What do you think the teachers will do about Quidditch?"

"What do you mean?"

"Take you and Malfoy, for example. Are they gonna make partners compete against each other and rekindle rivalries, or are they gonna cancel the next few games?"

"There isn't really a reason to cancel it. I mean, a little competition could actually solidify the groups."

Harry zoned out once again when he saw Theodore Nott walk out of the Great Hall, his attention drawn to the boy because he was trying to be inconspicuous. To Harry, his stance screamed predator on the hunt.

"Hey, Seamus? You're paired with Nott. What's he like?"

The Irish boy stared at him in confusion for a moment before shrugging. "He's your typical Slytherin. Cunning, power hungry, the works. A little bit violent, if you ask me. Why do you want to know?"

"No reason. Just confirming something my intuition was telling me."

Harry stood up, Hermione and the Weasleys curiously following suit. As the group neared the doors, they heard raised voices in the Entrance Hall. Harry turned the corner and saw Draco and the slightly taller Nott arguing. Pansy and Blaise were lying on the ground in full body-binds.

"So, Malfoy. Associating with Gryffindorks now? That's pathetic. I mean, I could tolerate your leadership before, even after your father was locked away in Azkaban, but now you've gone and fraternized with the enemy!"

"And you expect me to believe that _you_ would be better for our house than me?" Draco snarled. "You don't have enough brains for the job. In fact, you're nothing more than a brute."

Nott bristled at the blonde's words. In a flash, Draco was on the ground with a bloody nose. Nott stood over the fallen boy, in shock at his own actions, before smirking in triumph.

"I suppose Malfoys aren't an invincible as they'd like to believe, are they, Draco?" he mocked.

Draco rolled his eyes. "We're only human. Besides, you just proved my point for me. What now, oh great one?"

Nott snarled and viscously kicked the fair boy in the ribs several times, forcing him to bite his lip to keep in his cry of pain. When the attack stopped, Draco stared up at his assailant.

"Nothing good ever comes of violence. You will not raise your rank by harming me. If anything, you have just demonstrated my tolerance to pain, thus solidifying my position."

Nott spat on Draco's face. "You'll slip one day, Malfoy. And when you do, I'll be on you faster than you can say 'Salazar'."

With one last contempt-filled glance, he turned and walked away. Draco waited until he had rounded the corner to wipe away the spittle dripping down his cheek.

"Disgusting," he muttered to himself.

Harry glanced around the corner once more to ensure that the Silver Trio was alone, then he stepped fully into the Entrance Hall. The others followed after some prompting. Draco glared heatedly at the foursome.

"Not. One. Word," he hissed. Harry sighed and, ignoring the threats being issued to him by is partner, moved closer. He saw Ron and Hermione proceed to free the bound Slytherins as he himself knelt to inspect Draco's wounds. He pulled up the blonde's shirt, causing him to fall silent in shock, and winced at the severe bruising he saw. Gently, he placed his hand on Draco's left side, just below the pit of his arm.

"Let me know when it hurts the worst, all right?"

After receiving a grudging affirmative, Harry applied slight pressure and began moving his hand toward the hip, noting where Draco hissed in pain. When finished, he repeated his actions on the right side. He shook his head when he completed his self-appointed task.

"Well, you could have had worse. However, I'm pretty sure that there are a few broken ribs."

The blonde rolled his eyes. "Figures. That's the second time I've been injured today." He heaved himself up, wincing due to the pain in his sides. "Guess we'll just head back to the dungeons now. Come on, guys."

Pansy and Blaise thanked Ron and Hermione, then walked over to Draco. The three turned towards the entrance to the dungeons only to come face to face with an irate Ginny Weasley.

"Oh no you don't!" she scolded. "You, Malfoy, obviously need to go to the Hospital Wing. You three are not getting past me otherwise."

"Since when do you give a damn, Weaselette?" Pansy queried nastily, not in the mood for being held up.

"Honestly, I don't. Harry, however, seems to have taken a shine to you for some odd reason. He would have stopped you guys if I hadn't, only he'd be worse.

"No I wouldn't," he grumbled under his breath, but still loud enough for her to hear.

Ginny ignored Harry's denial. "Besides, look at you! Your nose is clearly broken. If you don't have it healed, it'll end up looking like Dumbledore's. And your ribs will probably keep you out of Quidditch for the next game, if not the whole season! Not that that's a bad thing, of course."

Draco scowled at her before his determined expression crumbled into one of defeat. "Fine. I guess we're going to the Hospital Wing!" he exclaimed with false enthusiasm.

Harry chuckled at the grudging tone. "It's not that bad. Trust me, I've been enough times to know."

As the group headed up the stairs, Draco flinching after every one, he turned to Harry.

"Hey, Potter?"

"Yeah?"

"Are there _any_ of your friends that wouldn't do well in Slytherin?"

"I've never really thought about it, but I don't think there are. Except for Neville, maybe."

XXXXXXXX

When Madam Pomfrey saw the state Draco was in, she ordered him to sit on a bed while she got a Pain Relieving potion. Harry sat next to Draco and struck up a casual conversation while their friends stood in a corner, discussing the situation the Gryffindors had come upon.

The Healer returned from the storage room and gaped at the students, shocked by the ease with which they were conversing. She shook her head quickly and walked to her patient.

"Okay, Mr. Malfoy, I need you to drink this then sit still while I do a diagnostic scan."

Draco nodded and accepted the proffered vial, downing the red contents in one gulp. Harry marveled at the fact that he was apparently undaunted by the bitter taste. The blonde rolled his eyes when he saw Harry's expression.

"Pureblood, remember Potter?" he drawled playfully. "I've taken this potion so many times since I was a kid that the taste doesn't bother me anymore."

Harry, accepting this explanation, laid back and watched Madam Pomfrey perform the diagnostic spell. She tisked to herself when the results came in.

"I don't know what you were doing, but you've managed to break your nose and four ribs. There's also some minor internal bleeding. It's really nothing to worry about."

Pomfrey cast the appropriate spells and released her charge, watching the group suspiciously. Harry couldn't blame her; he'd be wary of a group like theirs if he wasn't a part of it himself.

Draco shut the door behind him and groaned.

"I can't believe I let you Gryffindors talk me into getting healed."

"Isn't that a good thing, though?"

"Not for a Slytherin, Ron." When his friends still appeared confused, Harry elaborated. "It's a dominance thing. A leader of the Slytherins can't show weakness in any way, shape, or form. If they cave in to the pain, they are considered unworthy. Malfoy's already put himself at risk of his position by freely associating with us. Am I right?"

Harry once again found himself subject to severe scrutiny. Finally, Pansy managed to recompose herself. She scowled at him.

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. Now how will we help Draco? Even a blinded first year would be able to tell that he isn't injured anymore."

Harry turned to the blonde in question. "Would you be so kind as to remove your shirt?"

His eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"Take of your shirt."

"Why should I do that?"

"Well, you don't necessarily _have_ to. I mean, I could just cast the glamour through it, but it wouldn't look as convincing."

Ginny frowned at Harry and turned to the others. "Are you guys as confused as I am?"

Ron and Hermione appeared puzzled, though the bushy-headed witch's eyes were lighting up in dawning comprehension. Pansy and Blaise, however, were gaping at him. Harry smirked, knowing that they understood.

"Potter, that is positively Slytherin of you!"

"Draco, do as Potter says and take off your shirt!"

"But Pansy-"

The girl leveled him with a sharp glare, causing his to gulp nervously. With one last reluctant glance at Pansy and Harry, Draco slowly removed said garment.

Draco's chest, surprisingly, wasn't absent of a blemish or two. There were a few extremely light freckles on his collarbone. On his right shoulder, a scar remained from the battle that had taken place earlier in the day, though it was undoubtedly less severe than it would have been if the dittany hadn't been taken. The skin was a creamy pale, slightly lighter than on his face or arms. Draco's abdomen, while flat, sported the beginning of a six-pack.

"Like what you see?" he asked smugly, an almost flirtatious light in his blue-gray eyes.

"Just seeing what I've got to work with."

Harry withdrew his wand and approached Draco, who tensed reflexively. The scarred boy noted where there should be bruises then wordlessly cast the glamour charm. He nodded in approval.

"There. You still look like Nott beat the shit out of you."

"Wow, Potter. Where did you learn how to cast glamour charms like that? No, wait, let me guess…over the summer?"

"Nope. I'd rather not talk about it, though. Anyway, going on the assumption that this sort of thing happens a lot, would you normally wash off the blood?"

"Yes, but my nose would still be broken when I entered the Common Room."

Harry turned to his audience. "None of you would happen to have a pocket knife on you, would you?"

Blaise reached into his pocket and withdrew a silver knife with three emeralds encrusted in the center. He looked at Harry suspiciously.

"Don't worry. I'm not stupid enough to try hurting Draco with it."

The Italian reluctantly handed over his knife. Harry slowly withdrew the blade, its metal glinting in the torchlight. He pulled back the right sleeve of his robes and released the glamour he had on his arm, revealing the scar from the wound Wormtail had given him on the night of the Third Task. Placing the blade at the crook of his arm, where the scar began, he pressed down and dragged the blade halfway down the blemish, causing blood to well up. Draco gaped at him in repulsed horror.

"You want to put _that_ on my face?"

"Well, if you have a better idea, I'd like to hear it."

"How about another glamour?"

"And if, for whatever perverse reason, someone checks to see if it's real?"

Draco huffed in annoyance. "Fine. I think I may have preferred you when you were fully Gryffindork. At least I didn't lose as many arguments, even if you were more eager to fight."

Harry chuckled. "I was never completely Gryffindork, Draco," he retorted as he used a finger to smear some of the blood from his arm onto the blonde's face. "If anything, I was Slytherin enough to fool everyone, including Dumbledore, into thinking that I was."

Ginny glanced at the others, keeping one eye on the interactions of the boys. "Does anyone else feel left out?"

Everyone nodded. Ron turned to his sister. "It's been like this ever since they were paired up. Or while 'Mione and I were around, anyway."

Blaise shook his head. "Longer than that. Draco has a tendency to forget about everyone else when Potter's around. Always has. It usually leads him into doing stupid things."

Harry, remembering the several times he'd had to reset his own nose, recalled that blood had spattered all around his mouth. He added a few more drops in the appropriate places, then stepped away.

"Finished!"

The gossiping group turned to look at the subjects of their conversation. If they hadn't known better, they would have thought that Draco was fresh out of a fight. Said boy quickly put his shirt and robe back on while Harry cleaned Blaise's knife and returned it to its owner.

"That has to be one of the weirdest things anyone has ever done to me."

Draco glanced at Harry's arm and sighed at the sight of blood dripping from the laceration. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, grabbed Harry's arm, and gently wrapped it around the wound.

"Thanks," Harry muttered, blushing.

"It's the least I can do…Harry."

The two boys stood there, grinning carelessly at one another, until Pansy cleared her throat.

"If you two are quite finished," she drawled, "we need to get to our Common Rooms before the corridors get crowded.

Everyone else voiced his or her agreement. After saying their farewells, the group split up and went in opposite directions. Ron asked why Madame Pomfrey couldn't heal Harry's cut. Ginny slapped him on the back of the head and explained that it would look a bit suspicious. Harry continuously glanced over at the Slytherins, not knowing why he did so. Hermione's and Ginny's giggling ripped him out of his dazed state. He turned to them and was leveled with two fierce stares. He sighed, resolved to the fact that he was in for severe questioning when they returned to Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

Author's Notes: There's chapter 9! I know that very little happened in this chapter. I used to have some sort of purpose for writing it, but I forgot. Oh well. I've never broken a bone, had to check for broken bones, broken my nose, or reset it. Therefore, many details may not be accurate. My brain solely provided the descriptions of these events, and no research was done. On a side note, did anyone else see the lunar eclipse? My brother and I sat outside looking at it for about an hour. 

As usual, I am taking animagus suggestions. Feel free to send in song suggestions as well, but it's looking like I may have to pick those myself. I may or may not update in April. It all depends on if my muse returns. I'd also like to make a shout-out to my off-line friend ShadowMoonDancer. She has a really good AU fic that I recommend. Fare thee well!

Thanks to the chapter 8 reviewers:

ShadowMoonDancer  
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SwarmOfFanGirls


	10. Classes Continue

I'm so sorry about the late update

I'm so sorry about the late update! I had one packet, three papers, one logbook, and tutoring my cousin hanging over my head during Spring Break, so I didn't have time to write anything. When I went back to school, I had to read over one hundred pages in about two days time, three truckloads of homework, a field trip, and stress about the upcoming AP test to contend with. On the plus side…only three weeks of school! I don't think this chapter is pointless, but I'm not really sure.

Disclaimer: I reiterate, why would I waste my time writing fanfics if I owned Harry Potter?

"Speech"

'Thought'

/Parseltongue/

XXXXXXXX- scene change

* * *

"Do you like him or not, Harry?"

Harry rolled his eyes. The girls had been interrogating him for half an hour. Ron had lost interest in the first ten minutes, after Harry explained that he hadn't jumped to the aid of the Silver Trio because it would do more harm than good to both the Slytherins' reputations and their opinion of himself. Once Ron had left, Ginny had wasted no time jumping to the true purpose of his questioning by asking his opinion of Draco.

Since then, every single question had involved the blonde in some way. This was the most blunt inquiry that had been made by either interrogator, though.

"Define the term 'like'," Harry requested, not willing to fall prey to an oddly worded question.

Ginny rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You know good and well what we meant! Like! Fancy! Have a fondness for! Want to snog, for Merlin's sake!"

"Well, if that's what you meant, then I don't like him like that."

"Then how did you learn to get along with him so quickly?" Hermione's eyes were bright, as though she was about to learn the meaning of life. "How were you able to put aside a hatred that had persisted for five years in a week?"

"Honestly, I never really hated him." When the girls opened their mouths to argue, he held up his hands. "No, hear me out. Neither of you has known true hatred. Ginny may have an inkling, but an inkling is different than the real thing. Voldemort, I hate, Bellatrix Lestrange, I hate. Hell, I even hate Uncle Vernon! But I don't hate Draco. I may have disliked certain aspects of his personality, but he's never done anything to invoke true hatred. Besides, to hate someone who is like you would be to hate yourself. And we have much in common, he and I."

"But what about all the things he's done to us?" Ginny burst out vehemently.

"Did you know that Draco offered me his hand in friendship on the Hogwarts Express back in first year?" He received negative answers from both girls, who seemed confused by the apparent change in subject. "I didn't think you would, Hermione. I kinda thought Ron would tell you, Ginny, but evidentially I was mistaken. Anyway, you can probably infer that I turned him down. The fact that he was rejected, and in front of a Weasley no less, must have hurt. I thing the last five years were mainly to get even with me, and I don't blame him for it. Besides, we ourselves aren't exactly innocent."

"Are you sure you don't fancy him. It sure sounds like you do, from the way you talk about him."

"For the last time, Ginny, I'm bloody sure!"

"How? The only experience you've had was Cho, and I'm not all that positive that you actually fancied her."

"Look, I just know, okay? Now if you will excuse me, I wish to retire for the evening. Good night!"

Without waiting for a response, Harry stormed up the stairs to the boys' dorm. He had tried, he really had, but he had never done well with being under scrutiny. As he pulled back the covers after changing into his pajamas, Harry hoped that the girls would understand this. He heard amused hissing from under his pillow, where Aurum has slithered after he removed his robe.

/You are in for it tomorrow, Harry./

/Shut up, Aurum/ he replied, irked at the accuracy of the serpent's statement.

XXXXXXXX

"Come on! I said I was sorry!" His outburst was met with stony silence. "You two know I don't do well when it comes to questioning." More silence. "Hypocrites. It's not like you would do any better."

When Hermione and Ginny failed to respond, Harry huffed in annoyance and continued eating his cooling breakfast. Ron looked at him sympathetically.

"I'm not sure what you did to them, mate, but it must have been spectacular."

"All I did was tell them I was going to bed," Harry replied, a bitter edge tinging his voice.

"Oh. Well it must be their time of the month, then."

Ginny, hearing this comment, quickly whispered what she'd heard to Hermione. They glared at Ron and moved even further down the table. Harry smirked at him.

"Welcome to the doghouse, Ron."

Ron scowled at his friend. "Gee, thanks. And don't smirk like that; it makes you look like a Slytherin."

Harry quickly finished his meal and waited for Ron. The redhead shoveled the rest of his food into his mouth and stood up, his bag in one hand and a piece of toast in the other.

"I guess we'd better get going."

Harry nodded and stood as well, picking up his own bag.

"Yeah. Wouldn't want to be late for Potions, after all."

Behind them, the duo heard an eep followed by a scramble to stand and grab the bag that was under the bench at the same time. Harry and Ron chuckled; it was just too easy to make their bookworm of a friend panic.

After entering the dungeons, Harry suddenly paused, causing Hermione to bump into him. Ron came to a halt slightly ahead of them, turning to look back at his friends confusedly. Hermione shrugged helplessly as Harry stared intensely up the stairs. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end, an inexplicable pull causing him some slight discomfort.

Ron and Hermione sighed in relief when the Silver Trio reached the foot of the stairs. They put away their wands, which neither one had any recollection of drawing. Harry, though, didn't appear surprised or relieved at their arrival. In fact, it was almost like he was expecting them.

"Um…hi," Pansy said uncertainly. "Draco kind of drug us out here when you left."

"Really? Harry forced us to stop and wait for something. Bit of an odd coincidence, isn't it?"

"Hmm…it certainly is."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "If you girls are finished pondering the complexities of your best friend's minds, I think it would be best if we arrived at the Potions classroom before the crowd if we are going there together."

The rest of the group nodded and continued down the damp corridor. Harry turned to Draco and quirked a questioning eyebrow.

"Well?"

"Yeah. Oh, and the glamour worked. When is it going to wear off?"

"Patience, Draco. Give it at least a week."

"A week? You can't maintain a glamour for a week!"

"You can when it needs to look like you're healing from an injury. Actually, if your determination to hide something is strong enough, a glamour can be held for much longer, as long as it is removed for at least thirty minutes a day."

"Oh. I'm going to ask about how you know that later, you know. Nott's a freak."

Ron glanced down at Hermione. "Are you following this conversation?"

Hermione shrugged and shushed him as Harry responded to Draco's statement.

"I don't want to say I told you so. Something you want to ask, Ron?"

Ron shook off his surprise at being addressed and glared at his friend. "What the bloody fuck was _that_?"

Hermione slapped him on the arm while Harry cocked his head to the side in mock confusion. "What was what?"

Ron gestured frantically between Harry and Draco, causing Pansy and Blaise to chuckle even harder than they already were. The two boys in question glanced at each other before Draco rolled his eyes.

"That, Weasley, was a conversation. Surely even _you've_ had one before?"

"Well, I knew that! I meant that you jumped from subject to subject with almost no transition and were still able to keep up. Not to mention the cryptic bits!"

Harry shrugged. "I just know what he was talking about. If you and Hermione are interested, by the way, we got away with our little scam. Nott did check to see if Draco was still injured. It seems that he checked both ribs and blood."

"He poked and prodded the 'bruises' on my side. It's a good thing I was still a little bit sore, or we might have been given away. He actually swiped some of the blood off of my face and _licked_ it to make sure it was real!" Draco reiterated, shuddering involuntarily. "One of the most disgusting things I've ever seen, and that's saying something."

Ron's jaw dropped, his countenance considerably paler than usual. "That's disgusting!"

"That's Slytherin." The group halted outside the door to the Potions classroom. "We should probably split up now."

Harry nodded and moved to stand across the hall, Ron and Hermione following him. He turned his back to the wall and leaned back, arms crossed over his chest, right leg propped on the stone behind him.

"You knew Nott would check the authenticity of those wounds," Hermione stated accusingly.

"It was a suspicion, nothing more. Nott just seems like the kind of guy who would do something like that. I know I would, were I in Slytherin."

Hermione nodded her acceptance of this explanation, and the Trio lapsed into silence. It wasn't too long until the rest of the class, then Snape, came down the corridor to the entrance of the Potions room. Snape's arrival heralded a cessation to all conversation. He held open the door of the classroom, glaring at the one or two students who didn't give him their full attention.

"In," he said silkily, though the underlying tone left no room for argument. Every one of the teenagers, Harry included, jumped in place and rushed to comply. Snape, robes billowing in their characteristic fashion, followed the stragglers in and shut the door with a resounding bang.

"Now, onto the first order of business. I thought we could have an oral quiz." The whole class groaned, but Snape's threatening glare swiftly silenced them. "I will select two students, one from each house. Each of the chosen students will answer two questions. If both are answered correctly, the entire house will receive an Outstanding. If one is answered correctly, the house will receive a Poor, No correct answer will, of course, merit a Troll. The students that will represent their houses are Mr. Malfoy for Slytherin and, for Gryffindor, …Mr. Potter."

A collective groan rang out from the Gryffindor side of the room. Harry, though, was actually somewhat relieved. He had been getting tired of playing stupid, anyway. His only concerns were exactly what questions Snape would ask and how his classmates would react to his minor revelation.

Draco and Harry stood from their spots and walked to two desks in the front of the room, presumably put there to increase the pressure on the selected students to do well, thus making failure more likely. They each sat in the desk in front of their own house, both outwardly the picture of calm. Harry, though, couldn't help but feel like an animal on display at the zoo.

"Potter, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry sighed. It was just too typical of Snape to ask a question he'd used to humiliate Harry back in first year. He cast his mind back, trying to remember how Snape had phrased his answer.

"Asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion know as the Draught of Living Death."

Snape looked at him with suspicion. "Very good, Potter. Malfoy, what ingredients are used in the Draught of Peace?"

"Powdered moonstone and syrup of hellebore, sir."

"Excellent. It seems that neither house will receive a Troll today. Now Malfoy, list the ingredients of the Polyjuice Potion."

Harry stole a glance at his friends and saw that Hermione had to literally hold onto her right arm to keep from raising it and that Ron had placed his hand over his mouth to hide his grin. Harry himself had to work to keep his face blank; all three of them were able to answer _that_ question no problem.

"Fluxweed, horn of bicorn, knotgrass, lacewing flies, leeches, boomslang skin, and part of the person you wish to impersonate, I believe." Part of Harry was crowing in glee at the note of uncertainty he detected.

"Perfect. Ten points to Slytherin." When Snape turned to Harry, he wore a rarely seen grin that did not bode well for anyone it was directed towards. "Potter, is powdered galena used in Wolfsbane Potion? Explain your answer."

Harry gaped at the professor. There was no way that was on the sixth year curriculum. In fact, he would be willing to bet that it wasn't on the Hogwarts curriculum at all. Looking at his classmates, he saw that they had similar reactions. Hermione, who usually know everything about anything, appeared to be drawing a complete blank, as did Pansy and Blaise. Even Draco was at a loss, though he wore a thoughtful expression.

"Well, Potter? We're waiting."

Where had he heard of galena before? He knew it was recently. Suddenly, he remembered. It was in that book he'd read the night before. He'd begun a habit of reading books not related to school when he couldn't sleep, and had happened to pick one on minerals that night.

"Three…two…"

"Powdered galena is used in Wolfsbane Potion, sir. Werewolves are allergic to silver. If they consume it, they can become incapacitated or even killed. However, galena contains only trace amounts of silver. The silver weakens the werewolf body and mind, allowing the human to remain aware of his or her actions. The growth that occurs during the transformation is also inhibited, so the werewolf will remain the size of a normal wolf. The only known side effects are bouts of headache and nausea."

By the time Harry finished his answer, the whole class was openly gaping at him. Snape, who was normally controlled and unreadable, seemed to be the most surprised of all. Harry could almost literally see the gears turning in his head in an attempt at figuring out what to do in this unexpected situation. Finally, he came to a solution, albeit an unsavory one.

"A very…thorough and…competent answer. Especially for you, Potter. Ten points to Gryffindor." Snape muttered the last part, shuddering in disgust at the words leaving his mouth. "I would like to see you after class. Now, everyone sit with their partners."

As the rustling of books and papers rang through the air, Harry and Draco returned to their normal places. Harry only remained on the Gryffindor side for long enough to collect his belongings, then he spun on his heels and sat beside the blonde.

"We will be brewing several difficult potions this term, including the Polyjuice Potion and a memory restorative. Along with teaching you the subtle nuances involved in potion making, these lessons are designed to strengthen the bond between yourself and your partner and to teach each of you your own strengths and weaknesses."

While it may be illegal to brew several of the potions I will teach you, I have received special permission from the Ministry itself. I will inform you beforehand if a potion is illegal, so it will be your problem, not mine, if you get caught trying to brew it outside of this room. That aside, open your books to page three hundred and twenty-four."

XXXXXXXX

"Do you really think he'll teach us illegal potions?" Hermione asked nervously, worrying her bottom lip.

"Of course. The illegal ones are some of the most powerful. Besides-"

"You know what we brewed in second year, 'Mione. If memory serves me correctly, that was illegal."

Draco slapped the back of Harry's head playfully. "Shut up, you dimwit! I was talking. Now, as I was saying before I was _rudely_ interrupted," Draco glared at Harry, sending him a look that clearly said they would have a discussion later, "not all illegal potions are dangerous. There are actually several very powerful healing potions that are considered illegal."

"If they aren't dangerous, then why are they illegal?"

"Some of the ingredients themselves are harmful or extremely rare."

"Like what?"

Harry and Ron rolled their eyes as the two continued talking. Discussing potion as enthusiastically as they were just wasn't normal. Blaise came to walk beside them after Pansy joined in the conversation.

"Is this going to be a normal occurrence?" Ron asked in distaste.

"Knowing them, it probably will be."

Harry nodded in agreement with the Italian and ran ahead to open the doors to the grounds when he saw that Draco, Pansy, and Hermione were completely oblivious to their surroundings. When he turned his attention to the other two boys, he saw Ron's ears steadily growing redder.

"Why you slimy little-!" Harry grabbed the back of Ron's collar and drug him away before he could finish.

"Honestly! I can't even leave you alone for one second, can I ?" he asked in exasperation.

"I didn't even do anything!"

"Yes you did, Zabini!" Ron snarled. "You called Hermione a mudblood!"

Harry raised an eyebrow at Blaise, who genuinely confused.

"I did?" He thought back on the conversation, flushing when he remembered. "Um…oops. Slipped into my persona for a minute there."

As they walked into the greenhouse, their other three friends glared at them.

"What took you so long?"

"Well, Pansy dearest, the three of you were so wrapped up in your conversation that we thought we'd wait for you to finish before we caught up."

Harry winked at Blaise and slid into the seat beside Draco, not noticing the scowls directed at both Blaise and him.

"So, Potter, what did Snape want after class?"

Harry shrugged. "Not much. Just wanted to know how an 'incompetent' fool like me knew the answer to his questions, especially the second one."

"Well, how _did_ you know the answer to that one? No one else did, myself included."

Harry flinched when he saw that his and Draco's conversation was no longer private. "A combination of things, really. I just happened to read a book that mentioned galena last night. I figured that, logically, Wolfsbalne would _have_ to include some silver to work. The fact that galena provided the silver and the effects it had on the werewolf were nothing but guesses. I also had a conversation with Lupin about the side effects of Wolfsbane last month."

Draco shook his head in mock annoyance. "I never thought that you of all people would be able to fake your way through class in such a Slytherin manner."

"Thanks." Harry couldn't help but feel that this was a backhanded compliment.

Any further conversation was cut off as Professor Sprout entered the greenhouse. She bustled into the room, bringing with her the strong scent of dragon manure.

"I apologize for my tardiness," she huffed. "The carnivorous roses in Greenhouse Four were giving me a bit of a hard time. Now who can tell me about Venomous Carnations? Mr. Longbottom?"

"Venomous Carnations come in two varieties; yellow pods and purple blossoms. There has been debate about which of these is the most dangerous. Yellow pods have been known to eat humans and vomit an extremely corrosive acid, while purple blossoms will throw poisonous darts at any possible threats, which is anything that comes within fifty feet of the front or either side."

"Splendid, Neville! Ten points to Gryffindor. Today we will be clipping the barbs of the purple blossoms and collecting the poison within. Once this is done, they will be harmless for three months, the time it will take for the darts to shed naturally. This is a potentially dangerous operation, so listen closely to the procedures."

One partner, preferably whoever has the better reflexes, will stand in front of the flower to distract it. Meanwhile, the other partner will come up behind it and gently but firmly grip the base, preventing the expulsion of the poisonous darts. The person who was in front of the bloom can now approach and clip the tips off of the barbs. After this is done, the person holding the base will tip the blossom downwards and allow the poison to drain into the jar I will give you. This poison will be used as a potion ingredient later, so I'd suggest harvesting it correctly. Any volunteers for the first go?"

As one, the class stepped back, leaving Neville and Goyle in the front. They glared at their classmates accusingly before quickly deciding who would do what. Neville moved to the front of one of the purple flowers, making sure he was just close enough for the plant to sense his presence. While it was distracted, Goyle quickly moved in and grasped the base from behind. Neville stepped forward and clipped the five barbs inside the flower, then his partner gently tipped the flower, allowing its dangerous poison to drain into the jar Neville held. The Gryffindor screwed the lid on the jar, and the two boys took their seat.

Professor Sprout beamed at them. "See! It's not so hard. Any more voluntees, or shall I start picking groups myself?"

Draco and Harry shared a glance before stepping forward in unison. Professor Sprout handed Harry a jar and stepped back.

"Feel free to begin once you decide who will be the diversion."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "We're both pretty fast. It doesn't really matter who does what."

Harry smirked at his partner. "Thanks for volunteering to be the bait."

"Oh no! That's not what I meant!"

"Sure sounded like it."

"You bloody snake!"

The class gasped at Draco's exclamation while Harry chuckled. "So says the Slytherin. Seriously though, since I'm the 'brave Gryffindor,' I'll be the bait."

Draco, who had opened his mouth to retaliate, snapped it shut when he realized what Harry had said. He shrugged carelessly. "Fine by me."

Harry nodded and moved toward the plant, ducking as two barbs flew over his head. Two more flew by his right side even before he's completely righted himself.

'It figures that we'd get the violent plant,' he thought derisively.

The barbs continued to zoom by Harry, forcing him to move faster to dodge them each time. Within a few minutes, all the class could see of Harry Potter was a blur of movement. Harry flinched as one of the darts buried itself in his upper left arm. In the back of his mind, he knew he should tell Sprout of his injury, that he could be in serious danger if it wasn't treated soon. His Gryffindor side, the side that was in control at the moment, just wanted to finish the appointed task as quickly as possible.

As soon as Draco had a firm grip on the base of the plant, Harry ran in and cut the barbs' tips with a trembling hand. He then opened the jar and, after making sure that it was properly aligned, signaled to his partner to tip the bloom over it. He and Draco watched as the vivid violet liquid emptied itself into the container, Harry's vision starting to blur around the edges.

"I think that's the last of it," Draco said quietly, noticing that Harry didn't look too good.

Harry nodded imperceptibly and pulled the jar away after the last drop of poison had fallen in, Draco releasing the flower as he did so. He quickly resealed the jar, not knowing where the strength to fight off the poison's effects was coming from. Harry had enough presence of mind remaining in his jumbled thoughts to place an Unbreakable Charm on the jar and a Sticking Charm on the lid.

As soon as he did this, the last of his strength failed him. His knees buckled, and his hands let go of the vessel of their own accord. Both he and the jar fell, though none other than Draco stopped Harry's progress. The blonde gently lowered his partner to the greenhouse floor, laying his head in his lap, as the rest of the class and his professor rushed forward.

"Malfoy, what happened?" Sprout asked worriedly. Draco looked up, his normally stoic gray eyes flashing his frantic worry to anyone who cared to look.

"I don't know, Professor!" Softly, discretely holding one of Harry's hands in both of his own, he muttered, "I don't know," to himself.

'If I didn't know any better, I'd say Draco was upset that I was hurt,' was the last thing Harry thought before his world faded to an ever-consuming darkness.

* * *

Finished with the longest chapter thus far! I honestly didn't realize this chapter was so long. Actually, I may re-post it as two chapters if you readers think I should. The voting for animagus forms is now officially closed! However, I am still taking votes for songs.

This chapter was written in very tiny increments while I was on the bus going to school every morning. In other words, I was either half-delirious due to not being completely awake, or completely delirious due to only having two hours of sleep the night before. If nothing makes any sense, then that's why. Now I'm going to start doing what I should have been doing instead of typing this: HOMEWORK! Again…

Thanks to the chapter 9 reviewers:

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	11. Wind and Fire

I'M FREE!! In other words, school's out. This means that I have more time to write if I can get over my Internet addiction. I'll try to update soon.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, the epilogue would have either been more final or I would be attempting to write a sequel.

"Speech"  
'thought'

* * *

Harry gave a soft groan as he emerged from unconsciousness. He looked around himself in momentary confusion before realizing that only one place in Hogwarts was so white that it almost hurt the retinas. Having concluded that he was in the Infirmary, he pushed himself up to rest against the backboard, drawing the attention of the other four people in the room.

Poppy bustled over, a relieved grin lighting up her normally taciturn face. Ron and Hermione stood on the other side of the bed, the latter clinging to the former in her worry. Draco was leaning against the wall across the room, his Malfoy mask firmly in place.

"Well, Mr. Potter, it's nice to see that you're finally awake. It was a very near thing. Took me nearly ten minutes to extract all the poison from your blood stream. Now drink this potion and call me if you feel anything odd."

Harry thanked her and drank the bitter red liquid, absently wondering what it was supposed to do, exactly. As the Mediwitch went to a different part of the Hospital Wing, Draco approached Harry's bed.

"How are you feeling, Potter?"

Harry eyed him suspiciously. "I'm feeling all right, actually. Why do you ask?"

"Because that means I can do THIS!" Draco said as he cuffed Harry in the back of the head. The wounded boy rubbed the stricken spot while glaring at his assailant, but the blonde wasn't through yet. "What were you thinking? That you should just get the job done and worry that you had been hit by a _poisonous barb_ later? Pft, Gryffindors! You should have told Sprout the second that barb hit your arm! For that matter, I should have noticed that you had been hit. If not that, at least that you were acting oddly," he finished quietly, the last part more to himself than to the rest of the room.

Harry sent a pleading glance to Hermione. She nodded and dragged Ron from the room, muttering something about making use of his free period. Harry returned his attention to Draco after the door shut behind his best friends. He was shaking viscously, his worry evident now that the mask had crumbled. Harry sighed and tugged on his arm so that the distraught boy was sitting next to him on the bed.

"I'm sorry, Draco," he muttered, pulling him into a slightly awkward embrace. Draco initially stiffened before subtly moving closer. "You're right. I should have told Sprout that I'd been hit. My Gryffindor side was in control at the moment, though. I guess I just wanted to prove myself. Besides, I've been exposed to poison before, both through ingestion and injection; I thought I'd built up a tolerance, but I was evidentially wrong."

Draco pulled away, apparently having regained his composure. "Actually, Sprout said you should have gone down the second that dart hit you. Even if you didn't, you shouldn't have been able to hold the jar steady or have even semi-coherent thoughts. So it could have been much worse, though it was still reckless of you to not let on that something was wrong!"

Harry grinned at him. "Aww! Was Draco worried about little old me?" he asked playfully, fluttering his eyelashes. "I'm flattered."

Draco's face flushed a light pink as he shoved him. "Shut up, you wanker," he said, returning the grin with a smirk. "I have to go now. I have some Ancient Runes homework I need to finish before next period. Will you be okay?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine. I've been in here enough times to be comfortable."

Draco rolled his eyes as he gracefully stood, the tips of his fingers lingering on the back of Harry's hand. They traveled up his arm as he walked away, finally leaving Harry altogether as he moved beyond the head of the bed. Harry sighed quietly as the door shut, suddenly missing the other's boy's touch. The lingering feel of the fingers caused goosebumps to rise where they had been and Harry to shudder.

'Probably still messed up from the poison,' was his last thought as he sat back against the headboard, staring blankly at the opposite wall.

XXXXXXXX

Madame Pomfrey released Harry in time for his next period, albeit reluctantly. He actually somewhat wished she'd seen fit to hold him until dinner. In truth, he was nervous about what he was about to walk into. When he'd realized that he didn't like Divination at all back in third year, Harry had signed up for a summer course in Ancient Runes. Even though he was learning the same material as the other students taking the course, his progress was slower due to the obvious lack of a real professor. He did that until he took a trip to the Ministry of Magic at the end of last week to take his O.W.L.s, which he'd managed to pass with an Exceeds Expectations. This meant that he was now able to take the course with the other students at Hogwarts. However, after teaching himself for so long, he could only hope that he was prepared to learn from a teacher and have to deal with quizzes, tests, and real deadlines.

When he found himself outside the Ancient Runes classroom, Harry took a bracing breath and knocked firmly.

"Enter."

Harry slowly entered the room, shutting the door behind him.

"I apologize for my tardiness, Professor."

"Quite alright, Mr….Potter, was it? Yes, I was warned that I would receive a new student today. Well, what are you waiting for? Find an empty seat, already!"

His head down, Harry did as he was bidden. He could feel the confused stares following him. As he passed Hermione's desk, he made brief eye contact, sending the message that he would explain later. He finally reached an empty seat at the back of the room and sat down. Draco met his eye and raised an eyebrow inquiringly, but Harry shook his head.

"Today we will begin our unit on elemental runes. Who can list the elemental runes for me?"

Harry, Hermione, Draco, and a few other people raised their hands. The professor looked at Harry.

"Mr. Potter, I know you're new in this class, but feel free to answer if you think you can."

"The main elemental runes represent fire, water, air, and earth. However, there are also runes for steel, wood, thunder, and ice. The two most recently discovered runes represent darkness and light, but very little is known about these." After finishing his answer, Harry glanced around the classroom and had to suppress a smirk at the many gobsmacked faces of his new classmates.

"Excellent answer Potter! Five points to Gryffindor. As Mr. Potter said, the main elemental runes are fire, air, water, and earth. We will focus on these for now and see if we can progress to the others later."

Now, elemental runes are different from most others we will study. They are, of course, carved into many objects. However, a person can also be born with an elemental rune as a birthmark. This is a rare occurrence. In fact, the last known case was a hundred years ago. Having an elemental rune birthmark is usually thought of as a sign of power. In fact, legends say that a witch or wizard with one has their natural powers increased, take on some of the traits of the element they are marked with, and have more control over spells involving that element. For today's assignment, copy the runes off the board and write down the information on page two hundred and sixty-eight in your books next to the appropriate rune."

Harry began sketching the pictures on the board. After a few minutes, he glanced around the room in boredom. His gaze landed on Hermione, who seemed to have frozen.

'Odd,' he thought in bemusement, his confusion growing when he saw Draco in a similar state, 'Very odd.'

Harry shrugged, figuring there was nothing he could do at the moment. He wouldn't be the only one being interrogated, though.

XXXXXXXX

"Harry, why were you in my Ancient Runes class today?"

Ron swallowed his food and glanced at Harry curiously. "So that's where you were. I thought you were just in the library or still in the Hospital Wing."

Harry sighed. "I'm going to be in your class for the rest of the year, Hermione. Actually, make that the rest of our school careers." Seeing that his friends were about to launch into a stream of questions, he quickly continued. "I've been teaching myself Ancient Runes since the summer after third year. I went to the Ministry to take my O.W.L. for that class, and I passed. That made me eligible to take the class at Hogwarts."

"But Harry, why did you sign up to take the summer classes in the first place?"

Harry grinned at the bushy-haired witch. "I realized you were right about Divination, Hermione; we weren't going to learn anything in that class. Besides, the material didn't exactly interest me. Runes sounded interesting, so I signed up for it. So, 'Mione, why did you look like you saw Voldemort in class earlier?"

"Wait until we're in the Common Room."

"But-"

Hermione leveled him with a hard stare. Harry quelled and ducked his head, not wanting to incur her wrath.

"Okay," he said weakly. "Hey, what happened after I passed out in Herbology?" Harry asked, figuring that a subject change was in order.

Ron frowned. "Well, everyone kind of panicked. Professor Sprout ordered us to take you to the Hospital Wing over the chaos, as the poison had spread too thoroughly to be healed with the antidote by then. Hermione was about to levitate you, but Sprout stopped her. Something about you being unstable."

"The plant's poison contains a chemical that reacts atomically with magic to produce random effects. Depending on the strength of the magic, the results will vary. Anything, from you turning purple to spontaneous eruption, could have happened if I'd cast that spell on you," Hermione clarified.

Harry and Ron blinked at her. "Um, yeah. What she said," Ron muttered before continuing his story. "Anyway, after Sprout said that, Malfoy picked you up and carried you to the Infirmary with Hermione, our partners, and me following. Zabini and Parkinson-sorry, Blaise and Pansy- went to tell Sprout that it didn't look like we were returning to class, and then they came back. They left about five minutes before you woke up."

"Wow. I didn't mean to cause such a ruckus."

"Yeah, well, it was bound to happen. Where the Chosen One goes, chaos follows, after all."

Ron laughed as Harry threw a dinner roll at his face, hitting him in between the eyes. "Aw, stuff it Weasel," he said jokingly.

The laughter ceased abruptly, as did several of the conversations taking place around the Golden Trio.

"_What_ did you just call me?" Ron hissed.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Come on, Ron! You know I didn't mean it as an insult."

Said boy glared. "It's the principle of the matter. You're beginning to sound too much like Malfoy for my liking. You should stop hanging around him outside of class."

The entire Gryffindor table went silent at Ron's words, drawing the attention of the entire Great Hall with their abnormal muteness. It wasn't that they disagreed with the youngest Weasley boy; it was that very few people dared to tell Harry Potter what to do, especially that year. They turned to Harry, awaiting his reaction.

"Ron, you're being ridiculous! I don't sound like anyone but myself! And if you think I'm going to stop talking to Draco," Harry ignored the gasp that rang throughout the Hall when he called his rival by his given name, "just because you say to, then you've got another thing coming."

"Ooh, Potter getting chummy with the Junior Death Eater extrordinaire now? That's just what we need: another Dark wizard!"

For the second time in as many days, a powerful wind picked up around Harry. The torches that lined the Great Hall and the candles floating above the students' heads flickered once before extinguishing, leaving the room in complete darkness save for the cosmic bodies on the enchanted ceiling. Shocked and terrified screams filled the room as flames surrounded Harry's body. He moved towards Ron, oblivious to his condition. Ron found himself backing away as quickly as he could for fear of being scorched; even Hermione and Ginny had no choice but to move away.

"For your information, Weasley, not all Dark wizards are evil. Actually, Voldemort is nothing but a poser. True Dark wizards who have not lost sight of the Old Ways view what he did as an atrocity, and what he has become as an abomination! It is a sin to attempt to slay an infant, an even bigger one to flee from death. Death is not something to be fearful of; after all, it's just the next adventure," he hissed quietly, not wanting anyone else to hear.

The presence of a cool hand on his arm made Harry realize how hot he had become. He followed that hand to the arm and, eventually, face of Draco, his slate colored eyes glinting at him in the light of the flames.

"Harry, stop. Everyone's staring. Besides, you're causing a scene," he drawled, masking his awe with a façade of carelessness.

Harry glanced around. Dumbledore or one of the other professors had ignited the torches again. Sure enough, every pair of eyes was staring at him in fear, shock, horror, disgust, or, in some cases, awe. He sighed and, very slowly, the flames encompassing him began to recede.

As he began to reign in his anger, he took in his surroundings more fully. The Silver Trio was standing near the charred Gryffindor table, though only Draco had dared to come closer. Neville had moved as far away from Harry as possible, and the other Gryffindors were sitting in their seats in shock. Most of the first years and even a few of the second years had tears of fear pouring down their faces. Ron's clothes were burnt and his skin scalded, drawing a sense of satisfaction from Harry. However, this soon faded when he saw Hermione cradling her right hand.

"Hermione, what happened?"

She looked up, revealing the tears in her eyes, before turning away again. Ginny scowled at him.

"She touched you, tried to keep you from doing something you'd regret, that's what. You burned her, Harry, you bastard!" she snarled at him.

Harry's eyes widened in shocked horror at himself and he backed towards the Great Hall doors, dislodging Draco's hand from his arm in the process. The other Houses were coming out of their stupor and the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were glaring at him, none worse than the Gryffindors.

This was the last straw. Harry turned and fled, more terrified of himself than he had ever been of Voldemort.

"Harry, wait!" Draco's rare plea fell on deaf ears as the doors shut behind the fleeing figure. The blonde glared fiercely at the other students, causing several to think that he was about to spontaneously combust as well. When he turned his glare to the professors, all but two flinched and looked away. The twinkle returned briefly to Dumbledore's blue eyes, and Snape raised an eyebrow in wry amusement, recognizing that his student was about to unleash some of his anger.

"You all should be ashamed," he hissed coldly, his voice like steel, causing everyone, including the professors, to flinch. "You know good and well that was an accident! If anything, it was the Weasel's fault for taking a joke so seriously. And you, Weaselette!" he rounded on the youngest Weasley. "You of all people should know that Harry wouldn't intentionally do something to hurt his friends. Fucking hell, even _I_ know that, and I've been his fucking rival since the second time we met! Besides, Granger doesn't blame him, do you, Granger?"

Hermione looked up, wiping her tears with her good hand. She gave Draco a watery smile, "Of course not. I know that he loses control of his magic sometimes."

Draco nodded at her in thanks. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find a certain distraught Gryffindor."

That said, Draco ran from the Great Hall, leaving hundreds of stunned people in his wake.

* * *

Author's Note: Another chapter down! Like the others, this one was written early in the morning. I realize that I may have too many little subplot-things going at once, but it's really not my fault! Blame the subconscious. Anyway, I'm still taking song requests and, even though I know that it's cliché to ask, please review!

I'd like to thank ShadowMoonDancer for her beta-ing services and for suggesting the title of this chapter.

Thanks to the chapter 10 reviewers:

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	12. Within the Coils of Guilt

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Just a heads-up: this chapter contains very blatant hints of the Draco/Harry persuasion. If you do not like this couple, you are reading the wrong fic. However, if you do not like this couple but still insist on reading, then read at your own risk and don't complain to me. With that bit of business aside…enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. huddles in a corner Why do you insist on rubbing that in?

"Speech"  
'Thought'  
/Parseltongue/

* * *

Harry sat morosely on the Owlery floor, a tear making its way unbidden down his cheek. Aurum had wrapped herself around his neck the instant he'd stopped running, hissing words of comfort into his ear. Hedwig, sensing her master's distress, had flown down from her rafter as he sat and perched herself upon one drawn-up knee. Both were still in those positions several minutes later.

/Why couldn't I control myself?/ he hissed furiously. /At this rate, I'll kill my friends before Voldemort does./

/It isn't your fault, Harry/ his snake replied. /If Weasley hadn't riled you up to that point, or if he had stopped when you tried to end the verbal confrontation, the whole thing could have been avoided./

/But what about Hermione? I should have been paying enough attention to see her reaching out to touch me./

/Angry. Not notice. Accident/ Hedwig answered in disjointed Parseltongue, startling Harry out of his guilt for a moment.

"Since when do _you_ speak Parseltongue?" Harry asked her in bewilderment, not perceiving that he'd switched back to English.

Hedwig cocked her head before hissing back, /Summer. Snake come. Master talk more often. I learn./

/I taught her on some nights while you were still asleep. Hedwig is a fast learner, for a Flyer/ Aurum added, wishing to keep Harry distracted.

Of course, Harry, being Harry, felt his guilt return. /Oh. What happened was still my fault, though. I should be able to control my bloody emotions by now. Snape's right; I'm nothing but a weak adolescent fool!/

Hedwig nipped his ear sharply as Aurum replied. /You _did_ control your emotions. I did not wish to tell you before now, but you and I are beginning to bond, as you and Hedwig have. I could feel that you were much more angry than you let on./

/But-/

"So, Potter. Hiding in the Owlery speaking in Tongues? How quaint."

A small smile pasted itself on Harry's face in spite of himself. "Fuck off, Malfoy," he replied, lacking the bite such a dismissal would have once contained. He flinched as he felt the other boy sit next to him.

"So she's _your_ owl?" Harry glanced to the side just long enough to see Draco looking admirably at Hedwig. "She's beautiful." Hedwig imperiously ruffled her feathers and gave an appreciative hoot. "Smart, too."

/I like him/ the owl hissed happily.

Draco blinked. "Did she just hiss?" This comment forced Harry to look up. He met Draco's gaze, then went back to staring at Hedwig.

"Yeah. Evidentially, she saw fit to begin learning Parseltongue and keep it secret until now."

"It figures that the snake-hearted lion would have a snake-hearted owl," Draco chuckled, the expression on his face quickly becoming serious. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

Harry snorted. "After throwing a temper tantrum worthy of a three-year-old and burning one of my best friends? I'm just bloody peachy."

"For the record, none of that is really your fault."

"You have no clue how much you sound like Aurum and Hedwig right now."

"Aurum's smart too, then. As much as I hate to admit it, you're a powerful wizard with a lot of magic flowing through his veins, Harry. Sometimes, it just needs to be released. It would have happened eventually. As for your burning Granger, that was her fault. Common sense should have told her not to try to touch someone who's on fire."

Harry thought about the incident and what Draco said for a moment, then his eyes widened in horror. "But you touched me as well! Didn't I burn you, too?"

Draco gave a soft smile, one that, though seldom seen, looked like it belonged on his face. "No. You can see for yourself."

Harry grasped the proffered hand and inspected it thoroughly, looking for the slightest sign of a burn. Finding none, he looked up at Draco in shocked awe. "How?"

"You remember today in Ancient Runes, when Professor Babbling was talking about how some people are born with an elemental rune as a birthmark?" When Harry nodded, he continued. "Well, it turns out that I was born with the mark for water, even though I didn't know it before today. I think its powers may have protected me from the fire."

"Can I see it?" Harry asked tentatively. Draco nodded and unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt, allowing him to pull the collar so that his left shoulder was displayed. There, Harry saw a small pale mark in the shape of a drop of water, obviously the elemental rune for water.

Draco pulled up his collar and re-buttoned his shirt after a minute. "So, shall we go see Granger in the Infirmary now?"

Harry paled dramatically. "No, I can't!"

"I thought I already explained that she doesn't blame you," Draco said in exasperation. "I give you my word that Granger isn't mad at you. Will you come now?"

"I guess." Harry muttered reluctantly.

Draco stood and extended his hand to Harry. After Hedwig had flapped to the windowsill, he allowed himself to be pulled up. He turned to the snowy owl.

"Thank you for trying to make me feel better. I don't know what I'd do without you, girl."

Hedwig hooted in response and flew out the window, clearly eager to hunt. As Draco pulled him towards the door, he entwined his fingers with Harry's. While most of Harry was confused by this show of affection, for he knew that was what the action was, a small buried part of him trilled happily. Pushing both feelings aside, he allowed himself to be drug from his sanctuary and back into the real world and, in his mind, his persecution.

XXXXXXXX

The few students who saw the peculiar duo must have been too shocked to comment, Harry decided. Honestly, he would be too, and was to a certain extent. He and Draco certainly must have looked odd walking down the corridors with clasped hands and a snake wrapped around Harry's neck.

After what felt like an eternity of being gawked at like an animal on display, they arrived at the Hospital Wing. Harry froze, unable to force himself to move. Draco threw him an exasperated glance and gave an insistent tug on the hand he was holding, forcing him through the door.

"Hello, Madame Pomfrey. Is Hermione Granger still here?"

The Mediwitch nodded and directed them to a bed at the back, away from the others. Draco thanked her and pulled Harry in the indicated direction. By the time they reached the surrounding curtains, he was a panicked mess. He shifted to put the blonde between himself and his friends in an act of uncharacteristic timidity as they moved through the thin cloth barrier.

"Harry?"

He peeked around Draco when he heard the quiet voice, then retreated when he caught sight of Hermione. It wasn't because she was hideously burned that he backed away, because she wasn't, really; rather, it was because she looked completely unharmed save for the bandages around her right hand.

"Harry, please don't do this."

He glared when Draco stepped to the side, though he was pleased to note that the other boy remained close at hand. Now he had no choice but to look at Hermione, so he did. Green met brown in an unblinking stare before Harry turned away.

"I'm so, so sorry," he muttered earnestly, tears threatening to form yet again.

"You have nothing to be sorry _for_. I knew logically that I shouldn't have touched you, knew what the consequences would be. But I did anyway because I was worried, for both you and Ron. So don't you _dare_ apologize for me worrying about you, Harry Potter!"

Harry nodded and, before he fully comprehended his actions, moved forward and locked Hermione in a fierce embrace, making Draco smirk at the success of his own handiwork.

"If it's any consolation, the whole 'engulfed in flames while in a rage' look works for you."

Everyone in the room turned to gape at Ginny, who had been sitting by Hermione's bed, unnoticed, during the whole reconciliation. Harry and Hermione burst into a fit of semi-hysterical laughter at their friend's comment, while Draco gave a snicker of amusement at both the youngest Weasley's comment and her method of making amends.

Harry was the first of the laughing duo to regain coherence. "Only you, Ginny," he said blithely, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "Only you."

Said girl's only response was to beam happily and nod in agreement, starting another bout of laughter.

'Well,' Harry thought while his laughter died down into quiet snickers. 'At least my friends don't hate me after what happened, even if the rest of the school does.'

* * *

Author's Notes: I had several questions in the reviews of last chapter. I know that this chapter answered at least one question, if no more. Some people will probably be asking why Harry forgave Ginny, so I will go ahead and explain that now. The Harry in my fic has something of a three-strike policy with his friends. If they turn on him three times, then that's it. Last chapter was Ginny's first strike, and that only happened because she was (understandably, in my opinion) freaked out. This made it easy for her to forgive Harry. Now Ron, on the other hand…

I was shocked at the response last chapter received over such a short period of time. Imagine my shock when there was a flood of reviews when I opened my inbox for about two days straight! I'd just like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who's reading this fic.

Thanks to the chapter 11 reviewers:

Natasha AKA Tash  
spikesbitch  
xharuka  
Hyper Hippie  
CCSLover13  
Knyghtshade  
fifespice  
IPreferVerticallyChallenged  
Angel'sMystery  
Satsukifujin  
SwarmOfFanGirls  
evildictionaryninja  
GreenEyedCatDragon  
mochiusagi  
ShadowMoonDancer  
Damdidaa  
chacra


	13. Arachnophobia

Hello! ShadowMoonDancer was ticked that I didn't let her proof read the last chapter, so I'm writing this to make up. Let's still be friends!

I forgot to mention this in the last chapter. The name of the Ancient Runes teacher was found at the following link: www (dot) hp-lexicon (dot) info/wizards/a-z/b.html#babblingbathsheba

Disclaimer: Do not own Harry Potter.

"Speech"  
'Thought'  
/Parseltongue/

* * *

The three Gryffindors made their way back to their Common Room about an hour later, the soonest they could escape Madame Pomfrey's clutches. Draco had left about forty-five minutes earlier after claiming to have some unfinished business to attend to. The Trio was now seated in chairs in front of the fireplace and trying to ignore the numerous glares shot Harry's way.

"So, Hermione, why were you acting so funny in Ancient Runes?"

She glanced up from her book. "Oh, that. I was hoping you'd forget about that. Um, you remember what Professor Babbling said about the elemental runes serving as a birthmark? I-"

"Let me guess, you were born with one?"

Hermione's face gained a surprised expression. "Yes. The one for earth, actually. Or at least, I'm pretty sure it is. I was wondering if you could check."

Harry nodded and pulled out the parchment that he drew the sketches on. Hermione lifted the hem of her shirt so that her lower back was exposed, while Ginny stared at her two friends in confusion.

"What are you two on about _now_?"

Harry motioned her over and pointed at two small curvy lines that ran parallel to one another on Hermione's back. "See this mark? Compare it to this sketch. It's an almost perfect replica. This means that it is the earth elemental rune, giving Hermione added power over earth-related spells, as well as a few other benefits."

Ginny nodded, but she was staring at another one of the outlines. "Um, guys? This," she pointed to the mark for fire, "is on the back of my neck."

Harry gaped at her. "You've got to be kidding me!"

In response, Ginny huffed in annoyance and pulled her hair back, exposing a dark patch of skin shaped like a fire. Harry turned to Hermione, eyebrow raised.

"I thought Babbling said being born with an elemental mark was rare."

Hermione shrugged. "Ours isn't exactly a normal generation, Harry." She then turned to Ginny, eyes sparkling with glee. "This is great! Now we can _both_ use some of the elemental spells to their fullest extent!"

"Actually, I know who was born with the water rune as well," Harry cut in sheepishly. Hermione and Ginny both rounded on him, making him feel small in the seat he was sitting in.

"So who is it?" they asked in unison.

Harry took a deep breath, hoping they didn't react badly. "Draco Malfoy."

That said, Harry went to his dorm before the girls recovered enough to question him. He put on his pajamas and slipped under the covers, finally allowing himself to mull over the day's events morosely. He fell asleep to thoughts of murderous plants and hot tempers.

XXXXXXXX

The following morning, Harry made sure to wake up before the rest of his roommates. He hauled himself out of bed, rubbing his eyes to rid them of the remnants of sleep, and went to his trunk. He pulled out his usual school robes and went to the bathroom. Thirty minutes later, he emerged fully dressed and sat on his bed to pull on his trainers. However, it seemed that some of his dorm mates decided to break their morning ritual.

"Harry?"

Harry looked up at the groggy-sounding voice, seeing Neville watching him with sleepy caution. Dean sat up in his bed, having apparently just awoken himself.

"G' morning Neville, Dean," he replied quietly, unsure how they would react.

"You _were_ on fire last night, right?"

Harry blinked at the odd question. "Yeah," he said, drawing out the word.

Neville sighed in relief. "Good. I thought I was going crazy for a minute, there."

Dean and Harry stared at each other in silent shock before bursting out laughing. Harry quickly buried his face in the blankets of his bed, not wanting to wake Seamus or Ron.

"My thoughts exactly, Neville," Dean said a few minutes later, after his laughs had died down somewhat.

Harry grinned at the two boys. "Does this mean you guys aren't freaked?"

"Oh, we're _beyond_ freaked," Dean said seriously, Neville nodding his agreement. "But then, I would be freaked if something freaky didn't happen around here, particularly to you."

Harry stared at the two boys in front of him before nodding slowly. "Too true, unfortunately," he said with a sigh.

"We're serious, Harry. One little mishap, no matter how frightening, isn't enough to run us off. We _are_ Gryffindors, after all. Just know we've got your back if things get too bad," Neville declared in an uncharacteristically grave tone.

Harry smiled happily. "Thanks, guys. That means a lot."

Dean and Neville nodded their acknowledgment before rising to carry out their morning ablutions. Harry shook his head in wonderment before descending the dorm steps, marveling at his friends. When he reached the Common Room, he spotted Hermione and Ginny sitting on the sofa. He crept up behind them and leaned down slightly.

"You girls know me too well," he said quietly, his sudden voice making the two girls jump. They turned to glare at him.

"We figured you'd be down earlier. What happened?" Hermione asked, her agitation at him giving way to concern.

"Oh, I was just having a heart-to-heart with Neville and Dean," he said flippantly with a cheeky grin, making the girls stare skeptically at him.

"Guys having a heart-to-heart? Yeah, right," Ginny scoffed. Harry just grinned at her.

"Come on. Let's go to breakfast before anyone else wakes up," Hermione cut in on the banter. Harry and Ginny nodded, and they went through the portrait hole.

XXXXXXXX

"Is it just me, or are Malfoy, Pansy, and Blaise acting weird?"

Harry glanced at Hermione out of the corner of his eye, and then imperceptibly raised his gaze to the Slytherin table. Hermione was right. Draco was in deep discussion with Pansy and Blaise, and would occasionally glance at the Gryffindor table before returning to their conversation. Draco's usually impassive eyes were as hard as steel and Harry knew that anyone who chose to mess with him at that time would quickly come to regret it.

"You're right," Ginny assented before turning to Harry. "What do you think they're talking about?"

Harry absently wondered when he had become the House Malfoy-expert. "Could be anything. Draco doesn't usually talk to Pansy and Blaise this seriously in such a public area, so, whatever he's planning, he's so focused on it that he's forgetting to keep up his image."

Hermione and Ginny glanced at one another. "How do you know he's planning something?" Ginny asked since Hermione was still tongue-tied.

Harry shrugged. "His eyes always turn more of a light blue than gray when he's plotting." Seeing the girls' disbelieving, and, oddly, somewhat smug, faces, he raised an eyebrow. "What? One learns to notice the little things after five years of continuously competing against someone."

Ginny made a disbelieving noise. "Right, and I'm Merlin's granddaughter," she said with a small chuckle and a look at Hermione. She glanced at the Slytherin table, then at the doors to the Great Hall. "Hey, Stalker-boy, your charge is leaving."

Harry stared at her oddly, his face inexplicably heating up, before rolling his eyes at her antics. He glanced to the door to see Draco inconspicuously walking out the doors to the Great Hall. Of course, to Harry, the fact that Draco Malfoy was trying to be inconspicuous was conspicuous.

A few minutes later, Ron stood up and followed after receiving a note folded in the shape of a dragon. Harry didn't think anyone else noticed it. The note had flown to its recipient behind the Gryffindors and low to the ground, keeping it from being seen.

'What are you up to, Draco?' he wondered to himself. Casually, he excused himself from breakfast, saying he left a homework assignment in the dorm. As soon as he was in the Entrance Hall, he pulled out the Marauder's Map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

He watched as lines appeared on the formerly blank parchment. He scanned it quickly, habitually checking the places he usually saw Draco's dot. A few minutes later, he found the dot labeled Draco Malfoy standing surprisingly close to the dot labeled Ron Weasley on the first floor.

"Mischief managed," he murmured, refolding the map and pocketing it. He ran up the stairs and turned into a tapestry that was hiding a secret passageway that he knew would place him close to where he saw the two boys. He emerged and turned right. Upon rounding the corner, he saw Draco leaning against a broom closet, but didn't see Ron.

'Hm, this is rather suspicious.'

"Hi, Draco!" Harry called, waving jovially. The blonde jumped when addressed then turned to Harry. Harry absently noted how his eyes shuttered slightly.

"Hello Harry. I wouldn't think you were one to show up for class early."

"I'm not. I saw you leaving and wanted to know what you were planning," Harry replied, dropping all pretenses at ignorance.

"Planning?" Draco inquired, putting on an innocent expression. "I'm sure I have no idea what you are talking about, Harry. Perhaps you are feeling unwell?"

"The innocent look doesn't work for you, Draco. Besides, I saw the note you sent to Weasley. That kind of negates any possibility of you being innocent. Just tell me what's in the broom closet."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Brooms, of course."

Harry rolled his eyes and glanced down at Aurum, who had barely stuck her head out of Harry's sleeve and was flicking her tongue rapidly.

/Weasley is in there. Also, the Many-Legged Ones are locked in there, and they are angry./

'Many-Legged Ones?' Harry wondered. Suddenly, it clicked. He scowled at Draco.

"Draco?" he asked sweetly, making the blonde gulp. Very rarely was Harry's sweet tone actually used in a sweet context. "Why did you lock Ron in a broom closet full of spiders?"

The Slytherin smirked, giving up the pretense of ignorance. "Engorged spiders, actually."

"_Fine_! Engorged spiders, then."

"Well, he really did a number on you last night. You know, purposely riling you up so badly. That's my job." He muttered the last bit bitterly under his breath. "Anyway, you didn't really think I was going to let him get away with it?"

"So, basically, this is a ploy at revenge for last night's accident?"

"Of course. Plus all the times he slighted me over the years. I _am_ a Malfoy, after all, and we don't let our own suffer without retribution being served."

Harry stared. That statement was startlingly Gryffindor. "Please tell me you at least made it so that he could escape."

"Of course. Couldn't incriminate myself, after all. I also stunned him before he saw me, Silenced the inside of the closet before filling it with spiders, and burned the note. He has no way to prove it was me."

"Fine. Don't think you can use righteous anger as a means to justify all your actions, though. People stop believing it if you use it too often."

"I won't," Draco answered seriously.

XXXXXXXX

Harry was sitting next to Draco in Transfiguration, watching as he changed various parts of the manikin in front of them into animal limbs. McGonagall had allowed the groups who had mastered full transfiguration of the doll last class to move on to this stage. Just as his partner finished changing a former wing back into an arm, Aurum crept up to his right ear and hissed softly.

/Weasley is coming, and he isn't pleased./

Harry smirked and, upon remembering where he was, quickly wiped away the expression. He nudged Draco's shoulder and subtly gestured to the door. Draco nodded when he got the unstated message, clearly confident that things had gone without a hitch. Suddenly, a high-pitched scream echoed around the room, emanating from the hall outside.

"What in the name of Merlin was that?" McGonagall asked sharply, glancing suspiciously at the students in front of her.

"It sounded like it came from outside, Professor," answered Greengrass, one of the more unknown, and thus more well-liked, Slytherins.

The stern teacher rose from her desk and strode to the door. As soon as she had passed them, Harry quickly cast the spell they were learning on the manikin, focusing on what he wanted it to look like. Seconds later, it had spider legs and arms, as well as two more sets protruding from its abdomen. The door banged open and in ran Ron Weasley, seven-inch long spiders still clinging to his robes. His eyes darted around the room, widened in terror.

"Mr. Weasley! What is the meaning of this?"

"S-s-spi-spiders! Everywhere! Huge! Broom closet!" he shouted incoherently, shrieking when he felt one of the spiders clinging to him venture down the neck of his robes. He began running around the room, screaming frantically. "Get 'em off! Get 'em off! Get 'em OFF!"

He froze in front of Harry and Draco's manikin, his pupils barely visible. After standing frozen for a few seconds, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell into a dead faint. The entire class and their teacher stared at the fallen boy. Harry glanced to his side and was pleased to see that Draco looked just as shocked as the rest of the class. In fact, to someone who wasn't used to reading every nuance of his body language, Draco could almost pass for pitying. Finally, McGonagall snapped back into herself.

"I suppose that Mr. Weasley needs to be taken to the Infirmary. Any volunteers?"

Hermione and Pansy raised their hands. After being dismissed, Hermione cast a levitation spell on the immobile Ron the other girl opened the door. Harry was surprised to see what appeared to be three slightly curved lines that were positioned so that they looked like blades of a fan on the side of her neck, the air elemental rune. He made a mental note to speak with her later. After the door shut behind them, Harry lifted a hand to hide his grin.

'Today just keeps getting better and better.'

* * *

Author's Note: Once again, I was shocked at the rapid response. I still don't believe the interest this little fic has inspired in so many readers.

On a different note: I misled everybody! Well, a lot of people, anyway. Hopefully people won't be too upset.

**ShadowMoonDancer:** I wasn't ticked off you know, Kokou, just slightly annoyed. But then, I didn't have you read the last chapter of my Mercedes Lackey story and this upcoming chapter seems to be more confusing than most of my first drafts. Hey everyone! I'm a friend of the wonderful author of this story. I don't do much except check her grammar and change a word or two. Well I'm off at camp this week so you'll have to either wait until the week after the 4th or deal with a couple of grammar mistakes.

On ShadowMoonDancer's suggestion, I shall now elaborate on the definition of Arachnophobia. Simply, it is a serious fear of spiders. In other words, it is what Ron has.

Thanks to the chapter 12 reviewers:

CCSLover13  
SwarmOfFanGirls  
Knyghtshade  
GreenEyedCatDragon  
mochiusagi  
fifespice  
Kyba  
Natasha AKA Tash  
kami85  
The Silver Fallen  
GrlWithoutAName  
princess cythera  
ShadowMoonDancer


	14. Divided Arms

'Twas a dark and stormy night and I couldn't get online and check my e-mail/read fanfics for fear of frying my modem

'Twas a dark and stormy night and I couldn't get online and check my e-mail/read fanfics for fear of frying my modem. So, I got off of my lazy, Internet-addicted butt and typed chapter 14. Well, it's actually most of what chapter 13 was originally, but you know what I mean!

I don't usually do this, but this chapter is dedicated to Starflower-Gem, who reviewed every one of the previous thirteen chapters so that I would be pushed over the big 2-0-0.

Disclaimer: I, in no way, own Harry Potter. If I did, I would have refused to let Yates direct HBP.

"Speech"  
'Thought'

* * *

The rest of Wednesday passed with relatively the same routine as Monday after the Transfiguration incident. Ron came in to Charms halfway through the class, completely bewildered as to what had happened to him earlier that morning. Draco kept his mask firmly in place, not giving any hints as to the fact that he was the main source of Ron's panic attack. Not that Ron was paying anyone much attention or he might have noticed the small almost unnoticeable conspiratorial glances Harry kept giving the Slytherin.

As Harry had expected, the Hogwarts Rumor Mill had been working at hyper speed to process the events of the night before and earlier that very day. Every possibility, no matter how ludicrous, had been covered. Harry had heard everything from how he was a Dark wizard and working with You-Know-Who to him and Draco having a scandalous relationship, not mention so of the others that were too idiotic to think of, seriously some peoples imaginations. However, almost everyone was in consensus that the incident with Ron was related to the night before. And, of course, hostile glares followed Harry wherever he went.

Things with Ron didn't help matters. The redhead had taken it upon himself to slander Harry whenever he could, even going so far as to spread around the fact that he had tried to cast the Cruciatus Curse on someone, leaving out, of course, that that someone was Bellatrix Lestrange. While this didn't upset Harry as much as it may have once, it still perturbed him. Ron usually didn't go that far but Harry felt amen to the slander.

That wasn't all Ron had done. His actions had caused a schism to form in Gryffindor house. There were those who were against Harry, headed by Ron and Seamus, and those who were for Harry, headed by Dean and Neville. The House was divided cleanly in half, and would break out into debate at random moments throughout the day. This made the other Houses uneasy, as angry Gryffindors were dangerous Gryffindors. Harry could only hope that everybody would put aside their differences and unease about him for the duration of the D.A meeting later that night.

XXXXXXXX

Feeling the desperate need to escape his Common Room before he was jumped by one of the two groups, and also because he needed the time to set things up properly, Harry found himself at the Room of Requirement half an hour before anyone else. He concentrated as hard as he could on what he wanted, then snatched open the door that appeared. He gaped at what he found within. There were cushions on the floor just like last year, though they were notably more numerous. Targets lined the two side walls while two enormous cedar bookcases could be seen on either side of the entrance. There was another door in the far right corner. The thing that really drew one's attention, though, was the rosewood stage that was set up against the back wall.

"A dueling platform!"

Harry turned towards the gasped exclamation to find Hermione behind him. She had fled to her favorite hiding spot, the library, when people kept asking her why she still hung around him, and he hadn't expected her to emerge so soon. He grinned wryly at her.

"I thought you were going to stay in the library until it was time for the meeting."

"I was. My curiosity about what you were doing got the best of me, though."

Harry nodded at this explanation and motioned for her to follow him to the other door. He grasped the silver handle and pulled, his eyes glittering in delight at what they found there, while Hermione was just plain shocked. The room, evidentially, was an armaments closet. It was filled with every kind of weapon Harry was able to wield with at least moderate skill. There were different kinds of bows with quivers full of arrows, throwing knives, dirks, different types of swords, and staffs. Looking closer, Harry could swear he saw some axes and maces, though he doubted anyone other than Crabbe or Goyle would have the ability to pick them up, much less wield them. It wasn't long until he came across his true prize.

"Guns," he gasped in awe, picking up a silver handgun. Hermione eyed him warily.

"Harry, are you sure you should mess with that?"

"Why not? It's not like I don't know how to use it."

Hermione opted to ignore this comment. "So, what do we do now?"

"I'm going to warm up. _You_ can do whatever you want to."

Harry gently put down the gun in favor of a bow and a quiver full of arrows. He and Hermione walked out of the room, shutting the door behind them. As he thought she'd do, Hermione went straight to a bookshelf. Harry positioned himself about tem meters away from one of the targets, notched an arrow into the bowstring, drew it back, and fired. The arrow embedded itself two rings away from the center.

"Damn," he muttered quietly. "I really _am_ out of practice."

He rearmed the bow and fired again, this time hitting the first ring from the center.

"Harry! Most of these books are on the Dark Arts!"

He shot the arrow he had loaded before turning to Hermione. In his peripheral vision, he saw it hit the center of the target.

"Bull's eye," he muttered before returning his full attention to Hermione. "Of course. I _am_ planning on teaching them, after all."

"Harry, some of these are simply barbaric! Burning, constriction, severing," she shuddered before proceeding, "blood boiling. Why would anyone learn these?"

Harry smirked grimly, a cold glint in his eyes. "We're at war, Hermione. All the spells they're teaching us here are all well and good, but turning a hedgehog into a pincushion won't do much good in a battle against Death Eaters. Besides, it's one of the optional lessons. It's not like I'm forcing this on anybody."

Hermione sighed in defeat. "Fine. Just know that I won't be saving you when someone accidentally hits you with one of these."

"I won't, Hermione," he replied in exasperation, returning to his previous activity. About five minutes later, Ginny walked through the door.

"Hi Harry, Hermione."

Hermione waved her hand vaguely in Ginny's direction, but Harry smiled broadly at her.

"Ginny! Just the girl I wanted to see!"

She eyed him oddly. "Why?"

"Hang on." Harry ran to the armaments room with his bow and arrows and returned with two staffs. He shucked off his robes and gestured for Ginny to do the same. He then handed her a staff and stepped back a few paces.

"Harry?" she queried apprehensively.

"Just try to block my blows."

Before she could respond, he ran forward, staff cleaving through the air. The resounding crack from the two staffs echoed around the room. Ginny broke away and swung, making Harry duck to avoid being hit in the head. In retaliation, he swung his staff in an upward arc before changing direction at the last second and hitting Ginny's legs, making her fall. He put the tip of his rod against her throat and grinned down at her.

"Not bad for your first time, Gin."

Ginny rolled her eyes and kicked Harry's shin as she stood.

"Gee, thanks. I think I'd rather stick to dueling wizard-style, thank you very much."

Harry shrugged and walked over to one of the bookshelves after putting away the staffs, pulling down one of the Dark Arts books before sitting next to Hermione. She wrinkled her nose in disgust before returning to _Famous Archers and Their Accomplishments_. Ginny rolled her eyes at them before waving her wand absently, drawing random patterns in the air.

After about five more minutes of this, people began to arrive. The first to get there were the Gryffindors in their two separate groups, followed closely by the Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Lupin, who came over to where Harry, Hermione, and Ginny sat.

"Hey Remus. Thanks for coming tonight," Harry said, looking up from his book. His eyes widened when he saw the many students in the room. "Wow."

"Maybe you should pay more attention to your surroundings," the werewolf chuckled. "So, are you ready for this?"

Harry shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

That said, he stood from his place and returned the book to its original spot. Taking a steadying breath, he turned and wove his way through the seated students and onto the dueling platform. Harry glanced to the door opposite him just in time to see it open, allowing the three Slytherins to slip in unnoticed.

"Welcome to the D.A," he began nervously. He had done all right the year before, but he had been unprepared for the sudden influx of members this year would bring.

'Slytherins do not show or act upon their discomfort in public. They stand tall and bluff their way through,' he chided himself. Instantly, he felt his more calculating side take control.

"I am aware that there are many returning members. However, this is not the same club you joined last year. The training will be much more demanding and rigorous. If you don't feel up to the challenge, feel free to leave." Harry paused, waiting to see if anyone would take his advice. When all he received was a few people shifting uncomfortably, he continued. "So none of you will heed my warning? Fine, but remember, you volunteered for it. While we will focus on Wizard dueling once again, it will not be the sole focus. There will be separate sub-clubs on subjects such as Herbology, magical creature education, research skills, and strategy. Myself and a friend will teach anyone who wants to learn, and we feel capable, Dark Arts," He paused to allow the shocked mutters to die down, then resumed his speech, "as well as more advanced dueling. I will also give lessons on different types of Muggle dueling techniques."

"What good will Muggle dueling do _us_?" someone drawled. Finding the speaker, he was met with the annoyingly familiar face of Zacharias Smith.

"Well, Smith, let's play a game, shall we? Suppose I was dueling with a Death Eater and was disarmed. What would I do?"

"Run like hell, of course."

The other members of the club, minus the Slytherins and Hermione, laughed. "Well, I _could_ do that, I suppose. I'd be hit with the Killing Curse before I could move a meter, but I could. Or I could do something the Death Eater wouldn't expect and attack with a sword, dagger, or other Muggle weapon. Most Death Eaters would be flabbergasted by this move long enough to be incapacitated. If you were against one of the few with an iota of a brain cell, then you at least still have a fighting chance until help came or you could flee safely."

Most students, Harry noted, still seemed doubtful of the use of knowing how to duel Muggle-style. "Perhaps a demonstration is in order. Draco, have you ever taken fencing?" Everyone whirled around in shock at the name, and gaped when they saw Draco, Pansy, and Blaise at the back of the room. The three Slytherins stood stiffly, obviously not liking the fact that one of their own was called out.

"Yes," Draco replied imperiously. "Father thought it would be sensible for me to learn such a skill, even if it _was_ commonly used by Muggles."

"Well, come on then. You'll be needing a proper weapon." Harry jumped down from the dueling platform and walked to the armaments door. Draco pushed through the shocked students, most of who instinctively moved out of his way due to years of conditioning. From what Harry could hear, most people had reacted badly to the presence of the Slytherins.

"What are those _snakes_ doing here?"

"I bet they're going to slither back to their Death Eater mummies and daddies and tell them everything."

"Potter's in league with them, you mark my words. He _was_ the most likely suspect for being the Heir of Slytherin back in my third year, after all."

"I _told_ you Potter was going Dark!"

"They don't seem to be taking our presence here very well, do they?"

"No, but at least they have one thing right. I am technically 'in league' with you guys."

Draco smirked at him. "Of course you are. Why wouldn't you be?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "You mean other than five years of torment from you and the fact that I'm the 'Gryffindor Golden Boy'? Come on. We're about to either amuse them or scare them witless."

"Sounds like fun," Draco retorted, grinning maliciously.

Harry rolled his eyes and pushed him through the door, shutting it once he had entered as well. He walked past the gobsmacked Slytherin to the portion of the room containing the swords. He looked around until he found a long sword of his liking, then turned to watch Draco choose his weapon. The blonde was like a third year in Honeydukes. Finally, he chose a long sword with an ivory colored hilt and an emerald in the pommel. It was the exact opposite of Harry's, which had a black hilt and an amethyst in the pommel, and it was a little bit longer, showing that the blonde had more control in wielding the blade. They put the belts holding the scabbard around their waists, then sheathed the swords.

"Maybe we should set limits on what we're going to do before we get out there."

Harry nodded. "Good idea. Wouldn't want to accidentally take off someone's arm…or head… now would we?" he responded, only half joking.

XXXXXXXX

Several minutes later, Harry and Draco emerged from the closet. They climbed onto the dueling platform and stood, waiting for everyone to notice their presence. A hush fell over the crowd as they drew their wands and bowed, as was customary before dueling.

"Scared, Potter?" Draco taunted.

Harry smirked at him. "You wish."

That said, the duel began. They aimed their wands at the same time, but Draco cast his spell first.

"_Rictusempra_!"

Harry rolled to the side of the silver jet of light, casting his own spells as he did so. "_Tarantallegra_! _Expelliarmus_!"

"_Protego_!" The spells rebounded off of the blonde's shield. "_Petrificus totalus_!"

As expected, Harry raised his own shield. He lowered it and prepared to cast his retaliating spell, but Draco used the second's weakness to his advantage.

"_Expelliarmus_!"

The audience watched, shocked, as the wand flew from Harry's hand. Harry, however, had already drawn his sword and was charging at Draco, issuing a fearsome battle cry. The blonde quickly raised a shield, sheathed his wand, and withdrew his own sword in one fluid movement.

The onlookers gasped as Harry's weapon cleaved through the magical shield like it was butter. Draco blocked Harry's attack, using the blade's momentum to knock it away. He then retaliated, jabbing forward. Harry leapt to the side of the attack and towards his opponent, sword on point with him.

Parry, thrust, thrust, dodge, thrust, parry. The two duelists moved fluidly upon the dueling platform, defending and attacking, occasionally striking skin and drawing blood. Finally, Harry found himself in a position to disarm. He stepped closer to the blonde and brought his sword up almost vertically while still touching Draco's blade. While his sword was still in the almost-vertical position, Harry pointed the tip down suddenly towards the outside of Draco's blade. Finally, Harry slid the sword down the outside of his opponent's blade and then jerked in hard towards himself, causing the sword to jerk out of Draco's grasp and land a few feet away. Quickly, before Draco had a chance to draw his wand, Harry severed the straps that held the wand holster to the Slytherin's arm, making it fall to the ground. Harry placed the point of his wand to Draco's throat and grinned.

"I win."

When Draco held up his hands in surrender, he lowered his weapon. Harry then bent down to pick up the dropped wand and sword and tossed them to Draco, who caught them. The blonde sheathed the sword and pocketed the wand, scowling.

"You just got lucky," he spat, admittedly less viscously than in years past, but still harsh.

"Yes, I did," Harry replied, not denying what he knew to be true. He had had the fact that the outcome of any duel depended as much upon circumstance as upon ability when faced with a skilled and/or more experienced adversary. Draco appeared taken aback by this agreement, but he quickly hid his reaction so that no one who hadn't been looking for the split second it showed on his face would see. "Good duel," Harry said, sticking his hand out.

"It was, wasn't it?" Draco responded, grasping the proffered hand and shaking it. He grimaced when he saw the nicks up and down Harry's arms and the gash on his left cheek. "Sorry about that. Guess I got a little carried away."

The room grew so silent one could hear a pin dropped. Malfoy _never_ apologized, especially for something he had little control over. Harry, however, waved a hand in a dismissive gesture.

"No harm done. Hermione can patch up the worst of it later." He glanced pointedly at the several slices on the blonde's arms and the x-shaped cut on his cheek. "Besides, it looks like I gave as good as I got."

When Draco nodded his concordance with this statement, Harry turned to the dumfounded crowd, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow and making a mental note to try a short sword next time as he did so. Almost everyone was staring at the duo on the stage with gaping mouths. Hermione, Remus, and Pansy all had worried frowns upon their faces, but Ginny and Blaise looked thrilled at the display they had witnessed. Harry was pleased to note that Smith seemed incapable of formulating any smart remarks, for the moment at least.

Harry turned to Draco, who had come up next to him, and raised an eyebrow in amusement. It was obvious that the Slytherin was enjoying the attention. Harry turned back to the audience, smirking.

"Do you believe me about the Muggle dueling now?" he asked cheekily, his smirk growing at the sight of the numerous nods. "Good."

* * *

Author's notes: Well that's that. I know nothing about guns, so use your imagination in any further references to them. I have never taken fencing, so the swordfight was purely from my imagination, though I did do a little research. For anyone who is interested, the links I used are below.

www (dot) wikihow (dot) com/Win-a-Swordfight

www (dot) wikihow (dot) com/Disarm-an-Opposing-Sword-Fighter

Well, this is most likely the last chapter until October. I haven't finished chapter 15 yet, and I still need to do my summer reading. Hope this was enough to hold everyone off 'til then. I'll try to update sooner, though.

Thanks to the chapter 13 reviewers:

mochiusagi  
Starflower-Gem  
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	15. The Great Schedule Dilema

Okay, I managed to finish this chapter. This one really _is_ the last one 'til October, though. Consider it a going-back-to-school present.

Disclaimer: I won the lottery last night and used my winnings to buy Harry Potter…then I woke up from the dream and cried because it wasn't true.

"Speech"  
XXXXXXXX- scene change

* * *

Harry and Draco's demonstration apparently managed to either impress or shock any rebellion out of the other students, for no one complained when he had them practice basic dueling techniques. It was a good thing he did, too. While those who were in the D.A before excelled, almost everyone else was struggling greatly. He sighed in frustration as a stray Stunner flew over his head.

"STOP!" Immediately, all dueling ceased. "That's enough for tonight. There will be more information on the sub-clubs next week. If everyone I spoke to about teaching those would stay behind for a few moments, I would appreciate it."

Slowly, the crowd trickled out of the Room of Requirement until only the Slytherins, Remus, Neville, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and Harry remained. Everything related to Dumbledore's Army disappeared, replaced by two sofas and several plush chairs that were arranged around a fireplace that contained a roaring fire. Ron immediately claimed one of the chairs, as did Neville and Remus. Blaise, Pansy, and Hermione sat on one couch, and Draco, Harry, and Ginny sat on the remaining couch, Harry unconsciously leaning slightly into the blonde.

"I suppose the first order of business should be telling Remus and Neville who they're working with, right?"

While everyone else nodded in agreement, Neville paled dramatically. "I'm not working with Malfoy, am I?" he asked frantically.

This drew a laugh out of everyone except for Remus, who simply smiled in amusement, and Draco, who sneered at the round boy. Neville shrank back into his seat in intimidation.

"No, you are not," Draco drawled haughtily, his nose in the air. Harry chuckled and slapped his arm playfully.

"Don't worry, Neville. Blondie here's mine."

From her seat next to him, Ginny snorted. Harry kicked her lightly on impulse, wondering what she, and apparently Pansy and Hermione, found so amusing.

"_Blondie_?"

"Yes, Blondie. You _are_ blonde, are you not?"

"Well, yes, but couldn't you have come up with a better term?"

"Such as?"

"I don't know! Dragon, maybe?"

"Guys!"

They turned to Hermione, only to be reminded of their audience.

"Do they always act like this?" Remus asked, his merriment evident.

Pansy rolled her eyes in exasperation. "All the time. Now, if these two lovebirds are finished flirting, perhaps we could return to business."

"We weren't flirting!" Harry defended, mortified and confused to feel himself blushing. Beside him, he felt Draco stiffen.

"Whatever," Blaise waved him off. "Just get on with it."

Harry scowled at him, but continued on his original track. "As I was saying, Remus, Neville, and I will be partnered with someone, as what we are teaching can be dangerous in some circumstances. Everyone just heard that I will be working with Draco to teach Dark Arts and advanced dueling. Remus will be paired with Blaise for magical creature education, and Neville with Pansy for Herbology. Any questions so far?"

"Are you certain you should teach Dark Arts?'

Harry turned to the concerned werewolf. "Yes, Remus, I am sure that I should at least offer it."

"Why, though? Someone could get very badly injured."

Harry turned to his partner, who he knew was better with words than he was. Draco, taking this as his cue, began to explain.

"You see, Professor Lupin-"

"Remus. We are equals within this room, so you may call me Remus here."

"Well, Remus it is then. Anyway, the Dark Arts aren't all bad. Some, such as the Umbrus Charm, can be used for purely defensive purposes. However, when combined with the Cheironomius Curse, that defense can seamlessly become an offense. Others are very powerful healing spells. These would be especially good to know, as damage inflicted by most Dark curses can only be efficiently healed with Dark spells."

"Besides, teaching Dark Arts gives us the strategic aspects of knowing what to expect in battle and having skills the enemy won't anticipate us knowing," Harry added when he saw Ron open his mouth to make a snide comment. He inwardly smirked when the redhead snapped his mouth shut.

"That's true," Ron said slowly, not wanting to admit that Harry had a point but having no choice. Remus nodded hesitantly upon hearing this logic.

"Just to make things clear, I know nothing of this particular aspect of the club," he stated.

"Of course you don't. Why would we tell you? You are a teacher, after all; it just wouldn't be logical," Draco said. Everyone else nodded, agreeing to keep the professor's knowledge of the shadier activities of Dumbledore's Army to themselves.

"Um, I have a question," Neville said hesitantly into the prevailing silence. Harry turned to him.

"What is it?"

"What sorts of plants do you want Pansy and I to cover?"

"Anything you two think useful. Potions ingredients, healing herbs, things like that. Just use your best judgment."

"Perhaps you and Pansy could go plan out your lessons," Draco suggested. Pansy sighed and nodded, gesturing for Neville to follow her. The Gryffindor gulped nervously before standing and going after her.

"What about Professor Lupin-sorry,_ Remus_- and I? Any specifications?"

"Mostly creatures classified as extremely dangerous that Voldemort-" Harry sighed in exasperation as everyone but Remus and Hermione flinched at the name, "would ally himself with, particularly werewolves and vampires. Try to dispel any preconceptions you can and, if possible, expose them to said creatures."

"That could get pretty dangerous."

Harry rolled his eyes at the obviousness of the statement. "Hence the reason I wouldn't let Remus teach without a partner."

Blaise scowled at him while Remus grinned.

"You just sounded exactly like Lily, Harry. Mr. Zabini, perhaps we should follow Ms. Parkinson and Mr. Longbottom's example."

Blaise cast a curious glance in Harry's direction, but nodded in agreement with Remus and they moved to the opposite side of the room, leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco alone.

"Hermione, you understand what I want you to teach, right?"

"Of course. In my opinion, it's about time someone taught these people the proper method of researching information," she scoffed, her statement making everyone within hearing distance snort in amusement.

"Ron, you understand as well?" Harry asked, his tone considerably colder.

"Yes," he responded tersely. "Unlike some people, I'm not stupid."

"Then you need to come up with insults that showcase that rather than the truth," Harry retorted, not batting an eye. Draco looked down at Harry with a pride-filled gaze and smirked at Ron, making his ears redden in anger.

"You guys can do whatever you need to for a while. Draco, Ginny, and I are going to work on our lessons."

They glanced around Harry in astonishment. "We are?" they asked in unison.

"Yes, we are." He stood and pulled up the still-sitting duo. He hauled them to an empty table against the wall and roughly pushed them into two of the chairs. He sat heavily in the last one, ignoring the chuckles his behavior generated around the room. "Ginny, do you know what you plan to do?" he asked calmly.

She nodded once she overcame the shock of being manhandled by Harry. "I thought I'd start with the Leg-Locker Curse and the Body Bind Curse since even a first year should know those. After that, we'll slowly progress to my year's material. And, of course, I will teach them how to cast a _proper_ Bat-Bogey Hex. From the way the professors around here teach it, I'd almost be inclined to suggest that they didn't _want_ us to learn how to cast a good one."

Harry held in a chuckle as Draco's eyes hardened at the memory of his last encounter with Ginny's Bat-Bogey Hex. "That sounds good, Gin. Just remember to do some training on how to block as well, and mention that it's okay to dodge if you have time."

"I won't forget, Harry," she said in exasperation. "Honestly, sometimes you can sound like such a mother hen. So, what are you two going to do?" she asked, cutting off any response Harry may have made to her jibe.

Harry glared at her briefly before responding. "We should probably start with something less…severe…than the average Dark spell. Any ideas, Draco?"

"Well, I would suggest we start with healing spells, as they are more similar to the types of spells the students are more familiar with casting than the curses. After that, perhaps shields?"

"What about the Dark equivalent of the Patronus?" Draco and Ginny stared at Harry, Draco in shock and Ginny in confusion. "What?"

"Harry, that's really, _really_ advanced magic. Besides, it requires extremely traumatic memories to be conjured; memories most people don't have."

"I didn't say we had to teach it immediately," Harry replied, slightly put out. "Just sometime while we're doing these classes."

Draco sighed in defeat, knowing that it was very unlikely that his partner would drop the matter. "Fine, but only if they learn everything else first."

"We'll need to teach offensive spells, too, as well as the Unforgivables."

"Why those?" Ginny asked, appalled and slightly sickened.

"Well, Imperius would be good to use against those of higher rank. If things look bad for whatever side you're on, you can cast the curse and command whoever's in charge to order the opposing side to retreat," Draco explained.

"The usefulness of the Killing Curse is obvious. And sometimes on the battlefield, you may find yourself short on veritaserum, in which case a good Cruciatus Curse may be the best way to make any prisoners spill whatever info they have."

"What about the advanced dueling lessons?" Ginny asked several minutes later, after digesting the information she was given.

"I was thinking we could teach them to use a combination of Dark and Light spells in battle. If they're mixed together, the enemy won't know what kind of defense to use."

Draco beamed at the raven-haired boy. "Very Slytherin of you, Harry. We should also teach them to move and dodge while dueling. Staying in one place isn't worth dying over, and shield spells aren't infallible."

"Good idea. So, when are you free?" At Draco's raised eyebrow and Ginny's badly muffled snicker, he elaborated. "We need to know what days to have class on."

"Slytherin has Quidditch practice on Monday and Friday from three to five, and Tuesdays are usually reserved for tutoring the younger years."

"Gryffindor practices Monday from five to six-thirty, Wednesday from three to five-thirty, and Friday from five to six. Wednesday will also have regular D.A meetings from seven to nine."

"Looks like our only option is Thursday, then. Say…seven to eight on the Dark Arts training, and eight to nine on the dueling?"

Harry grinned at Draco. "Done."

Ginny shot Harry a confused glance. "What about your Muggle dueling, Harry?"

Said boy cursed quietly. "Shit, I knew I was forgetting something! I suppose the best day for that would be either Tuesday or Friday, depending on the others."

"Are we finished here? If we are, we should probably join everyone else."

Harry glanced up at Draco's comment and was surprised to find the others seated and waiting for them. "Ginny?"

"I'll wait until we hear the others," Ginny waved him off. Draco and Harry nodded their understanding, then the three stood and reclaimed their sofa.

"Did everyone work out the basics of what's on the agenda?" Everyone nodded. "Great. Next up is scheduling," Harry said, pulling out a sheet of parchment. He was amused to spot Hermione mirroring his actions. "First off, does anyone other than Ron and Ginny have any scheduling conflicts?"

"All the upper year Slytherins tutor the younger years on Tuesdays," Pansy piped up. Hermione beamed at her; her opinion of the snakes had apparently just risen another notch. "We can push that back until later on in the evening if need be, though."

"Right, so no Herbology or Magical Creatures on Tuesdays, then. How about Monday for one of these?"

The two groups quickly collaborated and came to a decision.

"It would be best if Herbology was on Monday," Remus stated on behalf of the groups. Harry nodded and wrote that down, allowing Draco to take over.

"Harry and the Weasleys have the same schedule, and Harry said his best day was either Tuesday or Friday. Which one do you want, Weasley?"

Ron gave a longsuffering sigh. "I'll take Friday, I guess."

Harry nodded in acknowledgment and wrote himself down for Tuesday and Ron for Friday. "Um, guys? We have a problem."

"What is it?" Blaise asked, obviously wondering what could go wrong while doing something as mundane as arranging a schedule.

"We're running out of days."

"How about Thursday?"

"Draco and I have that filled. It's the only day we both had free." Harry paused, thinking. It was Neville who supplied the solution, though.

"Erm, can any of the classes be cut down to an hour long? I know Herbology can. If another one can as well, we can have two in one day.

"Research can be cut down."

"So can strategy."

"And the basics."

"Magical Creatures, too."

"Woah, woah!" Harry called out, cutting off the barrage. "That's enough. How about this schedule: Herbology on Monday from seven to eight; Research on Monday from eight to nine; Muggle dueling on Tuesday from seven to nine; Dark Arts on Thursday from seven to eight; advanced dueling on Thursday from eight to nine; Magical Creatures on Friday from seven to eight, and basic curses and hexes on Friday from eight to nine?"

Everyone dwelled on the proposed schedule, then, one by one, concluded that it would work. Once this consensus had been reached, Hermione began rapidly scratching out a copy of it for herself. She huffed in annoyance when Harry, Ron, and Ginny began laughing at her outright, and the Slytherins smirked quietly.

"Well, _someone _has to have a spare copy for when you lose it," she sniffed. After a bit more discussion and some mostly-good-natured teasing, the group decided to call it a night.

"Hey, Remus? Could you do me a favor?" Harry asked quietly, though loud enough to draw the werewolf's attention. The duo walked to a place slightly away from the rest of the group.

"What is it, Harry?"

"Well, me and the other Gryffindors are close to our dorm, so we don't have that much of a chance of being caught out late. The Slytherins don't have that luxury. I was wondering if you could escort them to the dungeons."

Remus smiled at him. "Of course I can. It will be no trouble at all."

"Great! Don't tell them I suggested it, though."

Remus nodded and walked over to the Slytherins to suggest that he accompany them, and Harry returned to his housemates.

"What was that all about?" Ron asked him suspiciously.

"Nothing."

The other Gryffindors looked at him oddly, but let him slide for the moment. They left the Room of Requirement first, followed by the Slytherins and Remus about ten minutes later. Yawning widely as they entered the portrait hole, the lions bid each other good night and went to bed.

XXXXXXXX

Moonlight filtered through the window of the boys' dormitory. Ron had just barely managed to get into a pair of pajamas before he fell into his bed, snoring loudly. Harry and Neville shook their heads in disbelief before they, too, got ready to go to sleep. Before Harry retired for the night, though, he pulled out his Marauder's Map.

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good."

He watched as, illuminated by the light from his wand, lines began to appear. He scanned it until he found the dots labeled as Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, and Remus Lupin. On the first floor, they ran into Filch. Harry grinned triumphantly.

"I knew that would happen!"

"Knew what would happen?" Neville asked drowsily from his own bed. Harry flushed, realizing that he may have been a bit too loud and thanking any deities that were listening that he hadn't woken anyone up.

"The Slytherins ran into Filch," he explained, not seeing any harm in doing so. "Remus was with them though, so they shouldn't get in trouble."

"Is that why you sent him with them?"

"Was it that obvious?"

"Yes," Neville answered bluntly. "G'night, Harry."

"Good night, Neville." Harry pointed his wand at the map. "Mischief managed." He watched as the lines disappeared, then returned the blank parchment to his trunk, extinguished his wand, and lied down. Within a few minutes, Harry, too, was fast asleep.

* * *

Author's Notes: That chapter was _grueling_! You have no idea how hard it is to schedule like that. Hopefully, between ShadowMoonDancer and myself, we got all the kinks out. Once again, this is definitely the last installment until October.

Thanks to the chapter 14 reviewers:

Hyper Hippie  
fifespice  
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evildictionaryninja  
KakuSnake


	16. Allies and Foes

Arg! I missed my deadline! I'd intended to have this posted by the end of Fall Break, but that's passed. All I can say is at least it's still October. I don't know if this chapter was worth the wait, but it took a heck of a long time to get written. For some reason, the dang thing just didn't want to come out!

This chapter goes out to GreenEyedCatDragon, whose review pointed out to me the glaring mess I have made of Harry's relationship with Ron. Hopefully, I have managed to rectify that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, we would have seen more of Harry's dark side sooner, and it would have been more obvious. Also, he would have sneaked out every night to have snogging sessions with Draco.

"Speech"  
'Thought'  
XXXXXXXX- scene change

* * *

Breakfast on a Friday morning was always a rambunctious affair at the Gryffindor table. Unlike the other Houses, they were unashamed to show their joy at the end of a long week of classes. There was an unspoken agreement that no serious conversations would take place during that time to kill the jubilation. It was an understood fact. At least, it was understood to all but one particularly stubborn witch.

"Harry, why are you being so nice to Ron? Not that I don't like not having to choose between you and my brother, but, after what he did, I would think that you would at least be giving him the cold shoulder. I know I would have hexed him into next year by now!"

Harry sighed for the umpteenth time that morning. Ginny had been asking him the same question since that morning, having apparently delegated herself as his stand-in Mrs. Weasley.

"Ginny, it's Friday. Can't this wait?" At the girl's expectant glare, he relented. "I'm a man of my word. I promised Ron that he could teach strategy, and teach strategy he shall do. It's easier to keep an eye on him that way, anyway, and appeases the glory-seeking part of him. Besides, we have most of the same friends. I'm not about to make my friends take sides in an argument between the two of us if I can help it. As long as he doesn't bother me, I won't bother him."

Hermione put down _Two Hundred Simple Spells Every Duelist Should Know_, a large tome she had begun after the meeting on Wednesday night. "I spoke to Ron. He says that he'll at least _try_ to keep the peace between the two of you."

Harry grinned at her. "More like you beat some sense into him, I'd wager."

Hermione gave an unusually evil smirk. "The guilt-trip works wonders. Whatever Ron's shortcomings, he doesn't want to rip his family apart, or to alienate himself. Besides, fighting with Harry over power would lower himself down to the level of one of those slimy snakes. And we can't have that, now can we?"

"You certainly know how to manipulate your boyfriend, Granger. I commend you."

Hermione glared at Draco over her shoulder, leaving Harry and Ginny to gape at her in shock. "How is it any of your business who I see?" she asked coldly.

Draco took a step back, hands held up defensively. "No need to snap at me! I was just giving a compliment." That said, Draco turned and continued to the Slytherin table. Harry shook his head in wonder at the blond snake's ability to cause trouble with but a simple comment.

"How could you be seeing Ron, 'Mione? How long has this been going on for?" Ginny asked heatedly, slamming her hand down on the table and causing every dish around her to rattle.

"Ron's not _all_ bad," Hermione defended. "He has his sweet side. As to how long I've been seeing him, we got together around the beginning of summer. I'm sorry Harry," she said, a look of remorse passing briefly over her face. "I didn't know all this would happen when I got with him. And even now, I still, well I think I-"

"Don't worry about it, Hermione," he cut in, interrupting what may have been a rather embarrassing confession. "I know you've fancied him for ages." At the girls' shocked expressions, he glared at them. "What? You would have to have been blind to have not noticed the tension. As I was saying, you're the only one who has any say in what you do. I just hope you know what you're doing," he finished, concern lacing his voice.

Ginny took a deep, calming breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, the fire of anger, whose embers had begun to burn in their depths, had extinguished itself, replaced with a sort of reluctant happiness. "Congratulations, I suppose," she muttered. "Just be careful, Hermione. Ron can be rather…temperamental."

"I know, Ginny, Harry," she reassured her worried friends before returning to her book. Ginny and Harry glanced once at one another once before returning to breakfast, appetites and good moods soiled.

XXXXXXXX

"Today, class, we will be having a mock battle."

This one statement caused the entire class to break into chatter. Lupin allowed the pandemonium for a second before he held up a hand for order. Immediately, all conversations ceased.

"Unlike in most battles, there will not be one side pitched against another. This will be every man for himself, and the last person standing wins. Feel free to make temporary alliances, use Muggle tactics, and do whatever it takes to win. However, Dark curses and attempts at serious injury will not be tolerated. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Professor," the class chorused. Lupin's serious face broke out into an excited grin.

"Well, let's get a move on, then!" At the students' baffled expressions, Remus tilted his head to the side in confusion. "You didn't really expect to do battle in this stuffy old classroom, did you? You need space to move around. Therefore, class will be taught in the courtyard today."

The excited students rose from their desks and ran to the door, some in such a rush that they almost forgot their wands. Some of the students who were more familiar with dueling could be seen shedding outer layers of clothing. Harry stood from his seat between Dean and Neville, beaming at the prospect of a challenge. He quickly shed his school robes and tie, shoved his wand into the holster attached to his arm, and joined the mass of his peers on the trek to the courtyard.

"So, when Lupin said 'do whatever it takes,; do you think he meant _whatever_ it takes?"

Harry turned to Draco, who had moved fluidly through the crowd to come up beside him. "Of course he did. Lupin doesn't say things he doesn't mean."

"I wonder if he realizes that using such an irresponsible phrase around Slytherins is an invitation for trouble. For the Gryffindors, at least."

"Probably not," he replied, grinning. "I bet he'll figure it out soon enough, though."

The anticipation had mounted in the short walk from classroom to courtyard. Once outside, the class stood tensed, wands in hand. The adrenaline rushing through their veins was causing some students to twitch impatiently. Harry stood in silence, carefully selecting his possible first targets and labeling possible threats and allies. After a few minutes of this strained atmosphere, Lupin took pity on his class.

"Go!"

Chaos erupted. Spells were flying in every direction. In the first five minutes alone, a third of the class was eliminated. Those who were no longer able to fight were transported to the edge of the makeshift battlefield by the temporary wards that had been placed around the area and, in some cases, revived. Surprisingly, most of the eliminated students were Gryffindors. Needless to say, the Slytherins were taking full advantage of the invitation to use any means possible to win.

Harry was shooting Stunners and Disarming spells as rapidly as he could. He all but leapt into the air when someone bumped into his back and he whirled to confront him or her, only to discover that it was Draco. He instantly relaxed. Harry knew that, for the moment, they were allies.

After that, the two boys could be seen fighting either side by side or back to back. Alone, they were dangerous. Combined, they were Furies. Their movements were completely instinctive, quite obviously unplanned, yet in perfect synch. Many students were brought down by spells cast by either one or both of them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry checked on the rest of his friends. Blaise and Pansy appeared to be holding their own, having teamed up in the same way he and Draco had. Neville, surprisingly, was doing very well, even dueling with two Slytherins at once. Dean seemed to have decided that he was safer on the outskirts of the battle, as had Ron. Seamus, and most of the other Gryffindors, was petulantly watching from the sidelines.

Harry's gaze froze on Hermione. She stood alone in the middle of a circle of Slytherins, the rabbit surrounded by snakes. As he was running over to help, six Stunners simultaneously flew from their owners' wands. Hermione raised her arms in an instinctive, yet futile, attempt to shield herself from the oncoming spells. Harry slid to a halt when he saw an earthen wall rise up around her and absorb the attacks. The wall then sank down slightly and rippled out, knocking every one of the would-be attackers down and out of the battle. Hermione met Harry's eye and shrugged in confusion before hurling a nasty-looking Bat-Bogey Hex at Lavender Brown, who was noisily trying to sneak up on her, and continuing to fight.

"So, Granger has a Mark?" Draco asked as he sent off a Stinging Hex into a mob fighting nearby, hitting Theodore Nott.

"Yeah. I meant to tell you yesterday, but it slipped my mind. I told Hermione and Ginny about your birthmark, though," Harry added as an afterthought, cursing his loose tongue around the blonde and lack of tact instantly after.

"Gee, thanks Potter. I'm ever so glad I put my confidences in you," Draco said sarcastically, though he didn't sound as mad as he could.

"Sorry. I'll be sure you're the first to know the next time I learn some but of monumental information about my friends."

"Well, as long as you give me your word on that, I can forgive this slip-up. DUCK!"

Draco pulled Harry to the ground, barely preventing him from being hit by the oncoming Stinging Hex. The spell flew over their heads and hit Dean, eliminating him from the battle.

"Thanks, Draco. That was a close one."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Fight now, thank later, Potter."

A few minutes later, the battle was almost finished. The only ones still standing were Blaise, Pansy, Hermione, Draco, Harry, and Ron. Draco made eye contact with Blaise and Pansy and gestured at the remaining two opponents. They nodded and turned on Ron, bombarding him with a variety of hexes. The redhead froze for a second, in shock at the sudden assault, before retaliating fiercely.

Harry turned away from the scene to give his full focus to Hermione, who was slowly circling the duo she was up against. He was tempted to point out that she looked rather like a large cat, but didn't think that would go over very well.

"_Confringo_!"

Harry and Draco leapt away from each other and the attack, which was, apparently, exactly what Hermione had wanted them to do.

"_Impedimenta_!"

Draco rolled away from the oncoming spell and cast a Confundus Charm, which was easily absorbed by Hermione's shield. Harry cast a swift Oppugno at her and turned his attention to the remaining two Slytherins just in time to see them each cast a Stunner at Ron. He managed to avoid the first one, but was hit by Pansy's. He fell to the ground, unconscious and out of the battle. Harry's gaze flicked from the dueling Hermione and Draco to the approaching Blaise and Pansy, and he made a flash decision.

'I'm sure Draco can manage without me. Besides, we don't need Blaise and Pansy against us as well,' he mentally reassured himself even as he intercepted the approaching duo.

Blaise raised a mocking eyebrow. "Plan to take us both on alone, Potter?"

Harry shrugged. "Why not? It's not like I have anything better to do."

Pansy sneered at him, disgusted with his ostensible nonchalance. "Do your worst then, Potter."

Apparently, Blaise was tired of the banter. He fired a dark blue spell at Harry, which he dodged, only to have to block a spell cast by Pansy.

"_Stupefy_!"

"_Protego_!"

Blaise's shield successfully blocked the Stunner. However, the spell unexpectedly rebounded and hit the unsuspecting Pansy mid-curse. She collapsed and was transported to the rest of the watching students, who now included those coming from Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, and other classes. Blaise glared at Harry, who shrugged helplessly.

"What? It's not my fault my spell rebounded off of _your_ shield and hit your girlfriend," he quipped, ducking under an oncoming Bat-Bogey Hex as he fired a Full Body Bind at Blaise. The Slytherin blocked it with a Shield Charm, only to be hit by a Stunner as soon as the shield disintegrated.

Harry turned back to the duel between Draco and Hermione and was not surprised to find that they were still at a stalemate.

"_Incendio_!"

"_Aguamenti_!"

Everyone watched in shock as, instead of the stream that was expected, water rushed forth from Draco's wand with a force to rival Niagara Falls. The fire was put out, which had been the original purpose, but Hermione was also hit. The water shoved her back, and it appeared that it wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

"Draco, lower your wand!" When the blonde failed to reply to Lupin's outcry, Harry shot a mild Stinging Hex at his hand. Draco dropped his wand with a jolt, effectively stopping the charm. A drenched and coughing Hermione was revealed to them before she was transported to the edge of the battlefield. Harry sent a last worry-filled glance to her before giving Draco his full attention.

"Now, Draco, that was just uncalled for."

"The vile Mudblood deserved it. Maybe my little charm managed to wash the filth from her veins."

To anyone else, Draco was being just as scathing as always. Harry, though, was well accustomed to these verbal barbs, and he could tell that his heart wasn't in this one. In fact, if Harry didn't know better, he'd say that Draco sounded almost _concerned_.

"What's wrong? Can't come up with any new insults? Or perhaps it's the fact that Daddy isn't present to feed them to you? A shame, really. I was under the impression that Malfoys were above being caught in the act of the crime."

Draco's eyes flashed silver. "At least _my_ father isn't a corpse rotting away six feet under. Besides, it's true what my father says about _them_. Just look at what your filthy Mudblood mother gave birth to!"

Ah, that one had some bite. Harry smirked as he retorted, "Breeding must not mean everything, if it even means _anything_. I mean, look at yourself! Two Pureblood parents, yet you're nothing more than a whiney, spoilt, twitchy little ferret!"

Even as he said it, Harry knew he'd gone too far. Draco lifted his wand, any trace of his normal composure gone.

"_Aguamenti_!"

This time, the oncoming rush of water was expected. Harry quickly threw up a shield to protect himself from the onslaught. He was still being pushed back, but at least he wasn't being drowned at the same time.

'Now what do I do?' he thought helplessly as he felt his shield weakening. Draco, evidentially, had made that decision for him. The water stopped coming just as the shield gave out, but the enraged blonde wasn't finished.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!"

Harry fell to the ground, paralyzed, his wand clattering away to just out of his reach. Harry could feel the stirring of his raw magic as it automatically began fighting off the spell. Just as he was once again able to feel his toes, Draco came to stand over him.

"Never mention that incident to me again. _Ever_," the Slytherin hissed, crouching down to meet Harry's eye. The feeling returned to Harry's legs up to the knees as Draco began talking again. "Are we clear on this, Potter?"

Harry rolled his eyes at the blonde's theatrics. As Draco lifted up his wand to cast the spell that would eliminate Harry from the battle, the feeling returned to the rest of Harry's legs up to the waist, and he kicked up and over his head to where Draco was standing in one swift, if somewhat awkward, movement. Draco, not expecting the move, fell backwards and landed with a thud, his wand flying out of his hand and arcing gracefully through the air before landing next to Harry's.

With one last pulse of raw magic, Harry was free to move. He stood and walked over to Draco, a dangerous glint in his eyes promising pain to any who dared cross his path. Harry leaned in so that his face was inches away from Draco's, trying, perhaps a bit too desperately, to keep from sinking into the silver eyes staring back at him.

"It's not a good idea to gloat, Draco. You'll always be taken advantage of."

The fear, which had been almost tangible, drained away from Draco, replaced with a sort of smugness. He punched Harry in the stomach as hard as he could, forcing the wind from him. Draco stood as Harry doubled over, gasping.

"Maybe you should listen to your own advice, Potter," he drawled.

"You know, maybe you're right," Harry growled in response just before he lunged at the infuriating blonde.

From there, the duel disintegrated into brute force, wands and magic forgotten. The combatants rolled on the muddy ground, constantly changing positions in their quest for domination over the other. Finally, Lupin had enough.

"Boys!" Neither Harry nor Draco paid him any heed. Lupin sighed and withdrew his wand. "_Petrificus Totalus_!"

The spell lashed out and hit both belligerents, who froze in the posture they were in at the time that the spell made contact. Harry was straddling Draco's waist while restraining his wrists with one hand and shoving his face into the mud with the other. Draco, meanwhile, had managed to somehow contort his right arm so that his hand was wrapped around Harry's throat. Lupin rushed over and separated them before removing the spell.

"Now, since it seems that neither of you are going to be incapable of fighting any time soon, the victor will be determined based on the number and degree of injuries sustained. If you both will stand still while I do the scans, we will know who won shortly."

Lupin turned to Draco and made some complicated wand movements. A few minutes later, a sheet of parchment was spat out of the wand tip and into the air, where Lupin caught it. He then turned to Harry and repeated the process. Harry shuddered as a freezing cold blast of magic passed through his body, moving as slowly as molasses. As the last of the sensation dissipated, a piece of parchment flew out of Lupin's wand tip.

"How about we begin with Mr. Malfoy? He has a broken nose, two broken fingers, a sprained wrist, severe bruising, and several cracked ribs. Mr. Potter has a broken nose, a fractured skull, a mild concussion, one broken rib, several cracked ribs, a sprained wrist, and severe bruising. I'd say that, in this case, Mr. Potter wins by a hair.

"Now, for homework, write one foot on what you should and shouldn't do during battle. Everyone is to return to my room and wait for me so that I can write you a pass to your next class, seeing as we ran a bit past schedule."

As the other students began to trudge back into the castle, Harry bent over, suppressing a groan of the pain he could feel now that the adrenaline rush had died down, and picked up the two discarded wands. He sheathed his own and held out Draco's for him to take.

"Thanks," he muttered, carefully accepting the proffered wand with the hand that had two broken fingers.

"No problem," Harry replied. He clutched a hand to his head in a futile attempt to stop the world from spinning. "Oww. Concussions are definitely _not_ fun."

Draco merely rolled his eyes at the rather obvious observation.

"Are you two okay? Well, obviously not _physically_. What I meant is are you two mad at each other? I certainly hope not. If you are, you two will fight like that all the time and things will go back to the way they were and-"

"Hermione!" Harry cut off the worried girl, wincing at the volume of his own voice. "I don't know about the Slytherin git here, but I'm not mad."

Draco glared at Harry. "Don't call me a git, Scarhead! And Granger, I believe that I managed to expel the abnormal amounts of ire I had for Potter during the fight. Actually, I feel better than I have since last year when we fought on the Quidditch pitch."

Harry grinned at the memory. "Same here, Malfoy!"

Hermione rolled her eyes at the two. "Boys!" she cried out in exasperation.

Just as they reached the castle steps, Lupin caught up to them. "I'll be accompanying the three of you to the Infirmary."

"But Professor Lupin, we'll go on our own. We promise!" Harry protested in the most earnest voice he could muster. Lupin rolled his eyes in an action that was frighteningly like the one Hermione had made only a minute before.

"Harry, I was best friends with your parents, remember? I can tell when you're just trying to worm your way out of something. Anyway, I was going to tell Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger that I would like to speak with them tonight after dinner when we got back to the classroom, but thought that now would be more convenient. Some of the things you two did in class were rather…intriguing, to say the least."

"Of course, Professor!"

"Fine," Draco consented, attempting to sound grudging. "It's not like I have anything better to do."

"Professor Lupin, it might be a good idea to include Ginny Weasley and Pansy Parkinson in that discussion as well."

Remus gave Harry an odd look, but didn't ask questions and simply nodded his recognition of the request. The small group came to a stop outside of the Hospital Wing.

"Now you three do exactly as Poppy tells you, okay?"

"Yes Professor Lupin," they chorused. As their teacher continued on to his classroom, the three turned to the Infirmary door in unison. Harry gave a dramatic sigh.

"At this rate, I'm going to break the record for the most visits to the Hospital Wing." When Hermione and Draco's responses were to laugh, albeit that the latter was gripping his sides in pain, Harry glared at them. "Gee, thanks guys!"

After Draco and Hermione sobered up from their bout of laughter at Harry's expense, they walked into the room that had become intimately familiar to Harry and was becoming so to the other two. As Madame Pomfrey came out and started running scans on the three of them while muttering about insane professors and their lesson plans, Harry had only one thought.

'Here we go again.'

* * *

Author's Notes: I know, I know. Crappy place to stop. Compared to the alternative (going on forever and a day), it seemed good, though. I apologize to all you extremely patient readers. This is one of the longest, if not _the_ longest, chapters I have ever written. For a long time, I had writer's block, and then I didn't have time to type. And now I am making pathetic excuses…

Anyway, as far as I know, we don't have school on November 4 (American election day), so I should be able to write the next chapter then if I'm not drowning in homework. A couple of weeks from then is Thanksgiving Break, so there is the possibility of an update. Don't get your hopes up, though.

Thanks to the chapter 15 reviewers:

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ShioriRose


	17. The Segnato

I did it again! I apologize for the horrible lateness of this chapter. There has been a lot going on lately. The last two months were spent in a blur of school and preparing for the science fair. I'm still taking a ton of classes, so writing time is sparse. Heck, _sleeping_ time is sparse! I got two hours of sleep every night last week, to give you an idea. Anyway, I apologize yet again.

Disclaimer: Do you honestly think that I own Harry Potter? If so, I'm sure I can find a psychiatric ward to check you into.

"Speech"  
//Parseltongue//  
XXXXXXXX- scene change

* * *

"Harry, are you sure you want to stay here?"

Harry sighed. He'd been having the same conversation since just after dinner when Lupin asked Hermione and Ginny to join him in his office at eight. It was now seven-fifty.

"Yes, Hermione, I'm sure. Whatever this is about, it doesn't concern me for once. Now, you two really need to go. You're going to be late!"

Hermione gasped at this and ran out of the portrait hole as fast as she could. Ginny gave him a reluctant glance before following their eccentric friend. Harry sighed and collapsed into one of the fluffy chairs before the fire as the portrait swung shut. Aurum, meanwhile, slithered out from under his sleeve and coiled up in his lap, staring up at him.

//Are you upset, Harry?//

Harry gave her an odd look. //Upset? Why should I be upset? I know what Lupin is meeting them for, and it doesn't concern me.//

//But this is the first time I've seen you without them at a time other than classes or to sleep.//

//Hermione and Ginny aren't attached to me, Aurum. Not everything we do concerns each other, even if we do forget that sometimes.//

Aurum gave an exasperated hiss and made her way down Harry's legs to lay on the warm stones in front of the roaring fire, muttering to herself about the oddities of humans. Harry chuckled softly before curling up in his chair and pulling out a book to read.

The two of them remained in this peaceful state for twenty minutes, at which point the formerly motionless snake lifted her head for a moment before slithering through a small hole in the wall next to the entrance to the common room, wondering what had caught her attention. A few minutes later, the missing snake returned.

//Harry, the Forgetful One wants in.//

Harry blinked. //The Forgetful One? Oh, you mean Neville!//

He put down his book and headed to the portrait hole. As he did, the silence in the normally rambunctious common room hit him. It would seem that everyone had somewhere to be tonight.

"Neville, how did you forget this password? I thought you of all people would…remember," Harry trailed off as the open portal revealed that it was definitely _not _Neville outside.

"Potter, Lupin wants you in his office," Draco drawled, smirking at Harry's surprised expression.

"No, he doesn't. That meeting has nothing to do with me."

"I was told to bring you by any means necessary."

Harry leaned forward, ignoring the way the scent of cinnamon washed over him. "Give it your best shot, then," he hissed in challenge. "Because I fully intend to stay here."

Draco smirked, the close proximity to his rival-turned-partner apparently not bothering him. "Oh, don't worry," he purred, causing chills to shoot down the other boy's spine. Harry absently pondered his reactions as Draco continued. "I plan to."

Harry blinked. That gleam in Draco's eyes did not bode well for him.

XXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, in Remus's office, any passerby would be shocked at the group that had formed. Hermione and Pansy were engrossed in a debate about a book they'd both read, and Ginny was speaking with Lupin in an attempt to figure out why they'd been called. Blaise, who had, to Remus's amusement, tagged along with Draco and Pansy when they told him where they were going, was avidly watching the ornate clock on the wall, to all appearances counting the seconds.

When Ginny gave up on Remus giving her any hints, she turned to Blaise. "Zabini, why are you staring at the clock?"

The Slytherin boy grinned eagerly. "I'm seeing how long it takes Draco to drag Potter down here. Pansy and I have a bet, you see. Every minute it takes him is a minute closer to my victory."

Pansy rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's cockiness. "I think Potter will come willingly, while Blaise thinks he will be kicking and screaming."

"Two galleons that he'll come willingly," Hermione said, her expression thoughtful. Everyone turned to gape at her in shock. "What? I may be a Gryffindor, but I know easy money when I see it."

Ginny snorted. "Easy money if you put it on the right bet. I bet two galleons that Harry was brought by force."

The girls handed their money to Remus, who had also agreed to hold Pansy and Blaise's wager. As he pocketed the money, they heard something outside.

"What was that?" Pansy asked.

"I don't know. It kind of reminds me of the sound my pet kneazle made that time I doused him with water," Blaise mused

The noise was repeated, but this time it was closer and more distinct.

"OW! SHIT! WILL YOU LET ME THE FUCK GO, ALREADY? I SWEAR, DRACO, I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ARSE THE FIRST CHANCE I FUCKING GET!"

Everyone except Remus ran to the door, though they already knew who was yelling. The sight they found, though, made their jaws drop. Harry was being dragged down the hall towards Remus's office. What had so shocked the spectators was that Draco was dragging Harry along by his ear, of all things.

"Hello!" Draco greeted cheerfully over Harry's continued threats on his life. "One stubborn Lion, as ordered."

The other students stepped to the side to allow Draco to haul his prize through the door. Remus stood to greet him.

"Draco, when I said 'whatever it takes,' this wasn't what I had in mind," he said, his expression a mixture of disapproval and amusement. "And such language, Harry! Were you yelling that the whole way here?"

Harry gave a harsh pull in an attempt to free himself, only to end up yelping shamefully when the blonde's grip held and the ear twisted. Harry glared at the laughing Draco, who only laughed harder.

"Oh no, Remus," Draco replied after he had regained control of himself, easily dodging a kick from his captive. "That was actually a bit toned down. Once the shock wore off, he threatened to cut off my bollocks and force me to eat them. He then threatened to hang me by my ears and see how _I_ liked it. Quite frankly, I'm pleasantly surprised. I never would have thought Gryffindors were so imaginative!"

"Most aren't," Hermione stated. "Most Gryffindors are usually against such things."

"Unless it's a Marauder you're referring to," Remus added as he surreptitiously handed the smirking Blaise and Ginny their winnings, not wanting Harry to notice. "From the sound of things, it's a very good thing your dad didn't have your imagination, Harry."

With one last pull, Harry broke free. He rubbed is throbbing red ear gingerly. "Yeah, well, that's probably where I got a majority of it from. Now why am I here, exactly?"

"Mr. Zabini, here," Remus paused as Blaise waved jovially, "Decided to tag along with Mr. Malfoy and Miss Parkinson. Therefore, I thought it only fair that you should be included as well, and your friends agreed."

"I should've known that it was pointless to try to stay uninvolved," Harry muttered as he flopped down on the couch that someone had conjured. "Let's get this over with, then."

Draco rolled his eyes as he gracefully sat next to the sulking teen. "Oh come on, Potter. You act like being included is a _bad_ thing."

Harry glared at the blonde. "I think that you may as well use my given name after dragging me all the way here by my fucking _ear_, Draco." The girls, even Hermione, giggled at this comment, while Blaise rolled his eyes. "And name three things I've been involved with that haven't put either myself or others in mortal peril."

When Draco didn't meet his eyes, Harry smirked. "That's what I thought. So, Remus, how about getting this business over with?"

Remus cleared his throat. "I'm aware that those of you in Ancient Runes have begun studying the elemental runes. Can you tell me what you've learned?"

"Well, so far we've only learned about the main elemental runes: fire, water, air, and earth," Hermione began in her lecture voice. "The purpose of these runes is usually to protect from the element they're named after. For example, a family living in an area prone to floods may carve water runes around the house to protect it from the floodwaters."

However, there have been cases where witches and wizards have been born with elemental runes as birthmarks. The rune depends on the person's personality. Those born with these marks show particular strength and aptitude in spells concerning these elements and a level of control over the element the rune represents. Only those with a particularly large magical core are able to support this power. A magically weaker person born with a rune birthmark will most likely die if the power tries to manifest itself."

"Very good, Hermione!" Remus beamed. "While you seem to have a fairly good grasp on the knowledge, there are some things you haven't learned yet. Those born with an elemental rune have a name. They are called the Segnato. As a general rule of Fate, there are only one or two Segnato at a time, though the last one died some years ago."

"But we all know how well our lot does with rules," Ginny cut in, grinning.

"Which brings us to the reason I asked you here. Judging from what I saw in class, I am firmly under the belief that both Hermione and Draco are Segnato." When neither teen argued, he continued. "I wonder if you could show me your marks?"

When Draco didn't offer to go first, Hermione nodded and stood in front of Remus, then lifted the back of her shirt. After a minute, she let it fall and reclaimed her seat.

"Well, Draco?"

When the blonde still refused to stand, Harry sighed in exasperation before shoving him up. Draco glared at him, but unbuttoned the first few buttons on his shirt and bared his shoulder to Remus's gaze. After he felt his professor had looked for long enough, he stiffly sat back down, still redoing the buttons.

"As I thought. Draco, if you were to look at Hermione's mark, you would see that it was different from the one in class, while yours is not."

"But Remus, they look exactly alike," Harry argued.

"Maybe when you saw them, pup. Hermione has accessed the rune's true power since then. According to the beliefs of the Segnato, the true power of the rune marks is to control the elements themselves. The added strength to certain spells is just a convenient bonus, so to speak."

"So why are the Weaselette and I here?" Pansy asked curiously, though she was obviously not upset with gaining so much new knowledge.

"You both have oddly-shaped birthmarks, do you not?"

"Yes. I have one on my neck," Pansy replied slowly, obviously wondering how her professor could know that. Harry made sure not to make eye contact with her, lest his eyes give him away as the informant. Ginny also nodded her head, sending Harry an amused accusatory glance.

"Does it look anything one of these?" Remus asked, opening a large leather tome and passing it to the Slytherin girl.

"It looks like this one," Pansy answered while pointing to a rune shaped like the blades of a fan.

"Ah, the rune for air, it's very fitting for you Pansy. Ginny, that means you-"

"Have the rune for fire," she finished. When she got some odd looks from the Slytherins, Ginny shrugged. "We've already gone over this. Harry and Hermione were talking about Hermione's mark, and I joined in and noticed that the rune for fire looked an awful lot like my birthmark."

"One more thing before I dismiss you. The rune marks give you great power. However, that power is, as I'm sure Draco and Hermione have learned from experience, dangerous. If you can't keep control of your emotions, which feed the power, some of it may escape in a fairly large and possibly devastating outburst. Now, I think that's enough education for tonight. You're all free to go."

Blaise was the first to stand. "Not that this wasn't fun, Professor, but it felt a bit too much like class for my liking."

Everyone laughed, and all but Hermione nodded in agreement. The group rose and bid Remus good night. At the grand staircase, they separated.

Ginny and Hermione walked ahead of Harry, discussing what they had learned and giggling about something. Ginny glanced back at Harry and grinned teasingly.

"So Harry, were you really brought to the office by your ear?"

"Why don't you look at the bloody thing and tell me," Harry growled as the abused body part gave a particularly painful throb.

"I'm surprised you didn't get away sooner," Hermione chimed in, a dangerous sparkle in her eye. "In fact, I'm almost inclined to say that you liked it!"

As Harry opened his mouth to retort, Ginny cut him off. "I do have to say, though, that was a clever way to make him use your first name officially. I don't think he even caught it."

Hermione gave a theatrical sigh. "You leave us with one conclusion, Harry."

Ginny took a deep breath. "It's Draco and Harry, sitting in a tree, S-N-O-G-G-I-N-G," she sang, laughing as Harry chased his two mischievous friends all the way to the Fat Lady.

"Fortuna Minor!" Hermione said hurriedly as their pursuer closed in. The Fat Lady rolled her eyes and swung open, admitting the three teenagers. Aurum looked up as they approached the fireplace, Harry having temporarily set aside his aspirations to slowly kill the girls.

//Did you have a good trip, Harry?//

//You knew who it was,// Harry accused sullenly.

//Of course. He explained the situation to me, and I agreed to help. He still smells nice, too. Like the complement to your smell//

Harry rolled his eyes, not inclined to agree that he was beginning to agree with the snake.

"If you three are finished taunting and manipulating me, I'm going to bed. Women, honestly!"

Harry turned on his heel and tramped up the stairs to the dorm, leaving the three females laughing at his expense.

* * *

Author's Notes: Chapter 17 done! If you wish to see the excuses for this very late update, see the author's notes in chapter 16. Otherwise, please accept my utmost apologies.

Now for a few housekeeping details. I hope my fellow shippers appreciate the bone or two that I threw in this chapter. The pace of this fic should be picking up a bit now. Hopefully, it won't be long until I get to write the part that kept playing in my head over and over and literally forced me to write this. Stay tuned.

Segnato is Italian for Marked, if anyone cared to know.

Thanks to the chapter 16 reviewers:

FictionOtaku  
njferrell  
ronlover997  
ForeverHate  
smallvillewannabe4561  
fallenangel13136  
blueray  
fifespice  
SwarmOfFanGirls  
evildictionaryninja  
hopelessidealist  
Miyako Suou  
Chakahlah  
GreenEyedCatDragon  
Siosianna  
Willow-Girl-93  
mochiusagi  
jtsbbsps-dk


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